Medieval Maze

This weekend we took a day trip to Toledo. A half hour outside of Madrid, this city was the previous capital of Spain. The River Tajo that surrounds Toledo on three sides made it a sought after defensive site and thus a central location for each of the peoples that conquered Spain. The result is a unique combination of art and architecture influences from the Arabs, Jews, and Christians.

We went to the famous Holy Church Cathedral in Toledo. Beyond impressive. There is not one inch of this massive building that is not embellished with decoration. The tiniest stone in a corner still had a carving or gold design. I am not usually a fan of looking at cathedrals, but this was overwhelmingly intricate. I didn’t even know how to take it all in.

After our next stop to admire some well-known El Greco pieces we discovered two of the other things we had come to see were closed.

Since our return train tickets weren't until much later, we spent the rest of the time wandering. I can’t describe this city except that it was like stepping onto the set of “A Kid in King Arthur’s Court” (yes, I did just reference that movie). I would not have been surprised had a horse drawn carriage rolled down the street next to us. And a bucket of sewage being dumped from the window of one of the stone buildings would have seemed perfectly appropriate. We got lost in cobble stone streets and stumbled into churches with iron gates and buildings with castle pillars.

Mudejar style arch.

Saturday was another reminder that going through the maze of a new place is worth just as much if not more than checking off a list a "must-see" sights.

running the new perimeter

What started off as an effort to stay in shape and keep the tradition of running UCLA's perimeter alive, ended up being the best way to explore Madrid. In attempts to navigate the city on our afternoon runs, we have been stumbling into luscious parks, towering statues, and sought-after monuments. It is surreal to be passing by such extraordinary sights during an everyday activity. We had to go back and take pictures at night.




Aleks and I reenacting the discovery of the magical garden.


Running to "that cool building over there" ended with us starring up at the incredibly large and unbelievably intricate walls of Palacio Real - one of the "top ten things to see in Madrid." Good thing we wanted a work out! Palacio Real was built between 1738 and 1755 and has 252 royal guest bedrooms. The royal family does not officially reside here anymore but it is still used for important occasions.



Parque del Oeste is not only gorgeous, it is also home to Templo de Debod - a 2nd century BC Egyptian temple that was transported to Spain as a gift. Cardio went down on the priority list about now.



So yeah. I casually go on jogs here. No big deal.

calls waiting.

One train, four taxis, one ferry, one plane and three flights of stairs (yes, with 100 pounds of luggage) and I am finally in Madrid! Before the plethora of transportation, I had to say many goodbyes in order to leave. One of these farewells was to my iPhone, which those of you who know me can imagine is pretty much like losing my right hand.

Ironically, one of our first exploratory trips included a mission to buy our Spanish cell phones. My dear iPhone has officially been replaced with a 19 € nokia.


So why I am I talking about phones when I am supposed to be reporting my immersion into Spanish culture? Because believe it or not Spanish cell phones actually tell you a lot about Spanish culture. Cell phone rates are ridiculously expensive. Every time you make a call you pay a connection fee, in addition to 38 cents per minute. Just for local calls! However, incoming calls are free. That's why they do what one of our program directors called the "missed call" - when you call someone, let it ring once, and hang up so they think they missed your call and call you back, thus being the ones to pay.

Understandably, the Spanish don't like to be calling and chatting all the time. When we walk around there is hardly anyone on their phones at all. And this is a precise reflection of the Spanish way of life. They don't want to hear about your day on the phone. They'll meet you for wine at an outdoor restaurant and talk about your day for two hours. They don't need to be texting to find out what's going on next because they're content sitting there and talking to you for two hours more.

Here I'm learning to take life off hold and let the calls do the waiting.