"Madrid and Toledo, Spain" by lillithhanna

Toledo is a city built on a rock and it is surrounded by water and can only be accessed by crossing bridges. My tour companion and I crossed the bridges and walked in the hot sun into the city of Toledo. All the dignitaries, priests, bishops, nuns, altar boys and locals were out. The Cathedral and the streets of Toledo were preparing for the Annual Corpus Christi Parade. I was there with a Californian who had become an Australian after years of living there. We enjoyed Toledo for one night and the next day I had to take my flight to Egypt. I hope to return to Toledo one day. If I am lucky I will but next time I would have to go with my boyfriend because it was a very romantic place. I bought knives and Spanish fans as souvenires.

I had a room with a nice view. My host family was a single woman who owned a nice condo. Outside my window I could see this view of steps weeding through trees. I witnessed a wedding there one day also. In this room with this view is where I did all my endless school assignments.

I speak Spanish but in Madrid, Spain I forgot how to speak Spanish. The Spanish spoken in Madrid is different than the Spanish Puerto Ricans speak. My accent made the locals think I was from Venezuela. (I think the original Puerto Ricans did come from Venezuela but anyway.) Madrid, Spain was a nice place to visit. I stayed four weeks while I attended a Teaching English as a Foreign Language Course. I did not have much time to see Madrid. I did learn that the Metro is exceptionally punctual and reliable but stops running at 2 am. The people of Madrid were very homogenous, it seemed all the boys looked the same and all the girls looked the same. I will say the men and women from Madrid are very rough around the edges but my hostess was very kind. Maybe they are just hard to approach but okay once you get to know them.

Walking to the Metro station each day I was enchanted with the flowers and the gardens in people's front yards.

I only wish I had taken more pictures of all the beautiful flowers.

More than once I did hit the Irish Pub. This is St. Patrick's Abbey on Puerto Rico Street in Madrid, Spain. They had very good food and drinks here. There was even a library in this bar. I also have a photo of a painting I saw: the painting features a famous Puerto Rican actor (Cantinflas), dressed like an Arab, in a Mexican restaurant in Madrid, Spain. I will find it and post it here. The world is a funny place when you think about it.

The only affordable luxury I did find in Madrid were the Arab Baths and boy was I happy. With all the tension I had built up with all the TEFL school assignments I needed something. For $22.00 I spent an hour and a half enjoying hot baths, a turkish steam room and a massage. I went twice. It was very nice and if I ever own anything it would have to be my own Arab Bath. My kid scribbled on the picture.

This Cathedral took 200 years to build and is located in Toledo, Spain. It contains El Greco art. I spent hours inside and enjoyed every minute of it.

A famous Mexican comedian/actor, Mario (a.k.a. Cantinflas) is shown in this painting wearing a Turbon. This painting was in a Mexican restaurant we all went to after graduating with TEFL certificates and it was located in Madrid, Spain.