Weekend musings.....

Prior to this all of our excursions out of the city have been to the north - but this weekend, we ventured south into Castilla -La Mancha and visited the midieval city of Toledo (NOT Ohio) that was the capital of Spain up until the time that Felipe II moved it to Madrid in the 16th Century. Toledo is naturally fortressed by the Rio Tajo (Tagus) on three sides so it only needed to be defended on one and today you can still see the murallas or the refurbished fortress walls and gates. Because of the intense heat of La Mancha and also because the city has very limited space, the streets are incredibly narrow - wide enough for only one small car to pass through or sometimes only wide enough for pedestrian or equine traffic! This also serves to keep the sun off the streets and keep them (and the houses that line them) cool during the hot summers.

Our itinerary included the Cathedral which is the second largest Gothic cathedral in Spain and the third largest in the world, the ruins and museum of the sinagogue, the Iglesia de Santo Tome that houses the premier work of El Greco "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz" and finally the Iglesia de San Idlefonso - the only Jesuit church in Toledo. In between the boys had time for lunch and some shopping in Toledo´s many shops.

In the Cathedral which took some 200 years to complete, we also got a respite from the intense sun. There were a ton of tourists in Toledo - mostly and Americans and Japanese! I think we are on the same schedule as all the tour groups! The students saw the amazing transparente, a floor to ceiling alabaster sculpture the likes of which they will see nowhere else in the world. It is my favourite of the cathedrals in Spain even though Sevilla is the largest, I think Toleldo is the most beautiful. Also, because Toledo was the capital of Spain, the Archbishop of Toledo (sometimes a Cardinal) is one of the most important leaders of the Church in Spain. We saw the tomb of Cardinal Cisneros, confessor to Isabel la Católica and also saw many of his vestments from the 15th and 16th centuries that are preserved in the museum of the Cathedral.

Perhaps it is because they are unfamiliar with the history, or maybe because they just don´t think about the length of time that is 400, 500 or 600 years, but the boys just don´t seem to be too impressed with what they are seeing. I am always in awe of these items and works of art that are so ancient. Even if I don´t particularly like them, they are so valuable just for their age alone! They kind of zip through the museums giving things a quick glance - and seem more interested in getting back to the park to play futbol - ah well. I think it is usually afterward that they realize all the things they have seen.

Sunday was our only "low" day. We went to the Retiro in the morning so that they boys could finish up their shopping there. We are half way through the trip and they said that the time is just flying! Most of the boys spent the afternoon in the Retiro park playing futbol. On Sundays Retiro is full of mimes, singers, puppet shows, vendors of art, jewelry, snacks and lots of Mickey and Minnie mice giving balloons to kids and posing for photos. With it´s roller hockey, shade trees and cafes, it is a great place to spend a relaxing afternoon!

This week promises to be a busy one - we have lots of activities planned!