Madrid, Toledo, Cuenca- 2019
This was my 4th trip to Madrid- once in High School (I worked at a bowling alley snack bar for a year to earn a trip to Spain), once with my travel girlfriends and now twice with my husband! Madrid is a great jumping off point for all that Spain has to offer. (also Madrid is a great jump off point for Morocco and Ethiopia and other parts of Europe and Africa)
Madrid is a
great city that is made for walking. The pictures below were from various trips I have made to Madrid.
Here are the sights that made Madrid so wonderful.
Retiro Park
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| The Crystal Palace |
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| puppet shows in the park |
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| boating on the lake in Retiro Park |
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| beautiful topiaries and gardens in season |
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| the park has beautiful entrance gates the park closes at night and opens in the morning |
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| unusual art at the Reina Sofia |
Guenerica- by Pablo Picasso- the horrors of war
This is one of the most famous paintings in the world
It takes up a huge gallery room floor to ceiling
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| Plaza Mayor |
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| Here we are on the steps of The Prado museum-no photos inside |
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Temple of Debod- great place for a sunset picnic
And don't forget churros and hot chocolate at San Gines-Serving 24/7 since 1894!!
The Mercado de San Miguel is a fun place to stroll through- try and find a seat and get some wine and some fresh food treats- it is a bit overwhelming- but worth it
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| I had to include this - from Madrid in 1978 |
During one of my trips to Madrid my husband and I took the high speed train to Toledo. We stayed in a really cool Airbnb at the top of the hill in Toledo. (every place in Toledo is waaaay down and then huff and puff back up). The apartment was down an alleyway- thank goodness our host met us on the main street and showed us the way. We stayed in Toledo for 2 nights.
Our first stop was the Cathedral of Toledo- it had stunning carvings, a sky lit cupola, carvings, mosaics, statues and a few relics. It was a world class Cathedral.
We enjoyed wandering the streets of Toledo at night and taking pictures in this very steep town.
The next day we went to the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes near the river
After the Monesterio we crossed the Tagus River using the San Martin Bridge.
We were on a 7 mile (it didn't look that far!) round trip journey to The Parador of Toledo. A Parador is usually an architecturally or historically significant building that has been converted into a hotel. This Parador was built by the Count of Toledo in the 14th century.
We did not stay here (above the budget) but instead enjoyed wine and lunch on the patio overlooking Toledo. It was a great walk with fabulous vistas- but I wish we had taken a taxi back. (our bnb was at the base of the castle at the top of the hill on the right)
After exploring Toledo, we picked up a rental car and drove 2 hours west to Cuenca, Spain.
On the way we stopped at Molinos de Viento de Consuegra. These are the famous windmills from the novel Don Quioxte, Man of La Mancha (and his side kick Sancho Panzo).
After seeing the windmills we headed to our hotel in Cuenca. Cuenca's claim to fame is Casas Colgadas These are sometimes called the hanging houses. We spent 2 nights here just enjoying this truly remarkable little town.
On our way back to Madrid, we had one more stop. Ruta de las Caras, (Trail of the Faces) just outside Buendia. (Total driving time 3 hours back to Madrid- but add in 2.5 hours to do the 5.5 mile hike and take pics) There were 13 carvings and several natural stones that had weathered into art. All were huge!!
After this drive we returned our rental car, got an airport hotel and the next day we flew to Ethiopia for a tour I highly recommend https://www.awazetours.com/ethiopia-tours-historic-route.html
* I will have other blogs written about Barcelona and Southern Spain- check back soon!
*Reminder Spain is incredibly hot June through mid September, so make sure your hotels have air conditioning, (look for reviews that state good a/c!!) Also during the summer it is nice to have a pool.
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