After Sam’s visit I decided to go to Toledo for the day to keep myself amused as my essay had been submitted and I had a few free days before my trip to Salzburg. I went with a friend from Durham, who I ironically didn’t know before we were both sent to Alcala. Life has a funny way of doing things sometimes.
We got up early to get to Atocha in plenty of time for the 10.20 train, and after having queued for 20 mins or so we were told that the train we wanted was already full so we had to wait until 12.20. This shocked us as a) it was only 9.30, b) who were all these people going to Toledo? and c) in most other countries you can buy a ticket even if all the seats are filled and just stand for the duration of the journey. Anyway, we got our tickets and went for a little walk before going to Starbucks for breakfast.
When it was finally time to board we were impressed with how much security there was. The station reminded me a lot of the Eurostar section at St Pancreas and I even had to put my bag through a scanner.
The journey went by very quickly and soon we were on a tourist bus going around the outside of the town. This was quite possibly my favourite bit of the day as the town is just so stunning from far away. When you get into the town everything is very close together and if felt a little claustrophobic. This also meant that you couldn’t really stand back and look at anything. Toledo is similar to Durham in the sense that it has a natural moat surrounding the town. In both places the river circles the town and means you have to cross it to get in or out of the centre.
The weather was very changeable all day, but that just made life more interesting. I really enjoyed just being somewhere completely different for a day. That is one of my favourite things about travelling and exploring new places - being completely anonymous. The town is stunning and all of the architecture is really beautiful. Well worth a visit if you are in Madrid and fancy a day out of the city.
The station
This man and his hat amused me
The cathedral
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