Ross Roamed into
Toledo right before sunset. Leaving
Madrid was bitter sweet. I was excited to see a new place but I will miss the friends that I made there. Exiting Toledo's bus station, I was eager to explore a new city.
I was immediately greeted by a steep hill that I wheezed up, carrying my pack on my back.
If 18 kilos is the weight of freedom – so be it. Once I reached the top, I came upon Toledo's main square, lined with all sorts of shops selling swords, fancy cakes, and marzipan (which I regret not trying). I decided to make the best use of the remaining light and set off wandering Toledo's small streets.
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| Toledo's beautiful cathedral. |
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| I've never seen cakes like this. They must be unique to Toledo. |
Toledo is a spectacular gem of a town. It is built upon a hill so walking around is a pleasure because between the buildings you can catch glimpses overlooking the rest of the town.
I could feel the history of the buildings noticing signs of Toledo's hundreds of years of inhabitation. I am fascinated how towns that were built so long ago can still meet our modern needs.
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| I think I'll get this photo framed. |
Due to its small size, Toledo is easy to explore in a day or two, but everywhere I went was rich with history and life. When it got dark I returned to the main square to hunker down at McDonalds and contact my host. As I logged onto CS I was surprised to see that after his acceptance message he had not provided me with any address. Borp. Long story short, he did not respond.
I set off in search of a place to sleep.
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There were a metric ton of stray cats all over Toledo.
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| The bridge connecting Toledo's two hills. |
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| A tower to protect the city. |
I walked down the hill and crossed the river, hoping there would be grass on the other side. I hiked up the other hill to find a military base.
The Spanish military were none too happy when I tried wandering into their parking lot. I followed the road for a kilometer or two. Exploring Toledo with my pack had sapped all my energy and I was ready to crash. Luckily I found a park with a bunch of trees where I rolled out my sleeping bag and closed my eyes.
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| Waking up in Toledo. |
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| Friendly signs, compliments of the military! |
The next morning I was happy to wake up without having been attacked by bears or bums. Sleeping outside is nice. I packed my stuff, explored the park a bit, and headed back into town. After a nice breakfast of chocolate con churros I began wandering again. While exploring the day before I saw that there was another hill next to Toledo that offered killer views of the city. I headed through the old Jewish quarter, across the river, and to the hills.
Thankfully all my walking was well worth it because it was a beautiful day and Toledo is rather photogenic.
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| Toledo's castle is its highest point. |
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| Hungover steps. |
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| Narrow streets, rich with history. |
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| Roman ruins along the river. |
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| Romeo and Juliet moved to Toledo. |
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| A cool looking inside of a building. |
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| These men are either scientists, doctors, or butchers. |
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| Lush growth along the river's banks. |
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| I love rivers. |
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| The cherry trees were just finishing blooming. |
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| Ross hanging out with Toledo. |
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| Close up of the skyline. |
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| The bridge that I crossed the night before. |
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| Lola would have loved these lizards. |
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| Leaving my mark! |
Before I left (or tried to leave) Toledo, I meditated under a tree overlooking the city. Determined to hitch hike to Córdoba, I walked to a spot that I found on Google Maps that I thought would be good. I found an ideal spot, right before the highway with plenty of room for cars to pull over and started dancing.
I danced and I danced for two hours; waving my sign and looking like a lunatic. Despite many smiles and much laughter no one was stopping. Frack! I wandered to the other highway entrance but there was no where to catch a ride. My first spot was my only option. I returned, with only an hour of daylight left. I made another sign and resumed my shtick. By some luck I caught a ride within thirty minutes. They took me to the main highway that headed South to Córdoba.
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| My road-side home for the next two days... |
Hitch hiking from Toledo to Córdoba would be ridiculous. Little did I know what the next few days had in store for me. I thought that
hitch hiking to Barcelona from Tolouse was difficult – I had no clue...
Adios!
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