to Toledo

via Begur, Girona and Madrid

:: April 8 - 10 ::

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April 8. Bob and Marney headed to Girona today on the bus past fields with yellow rapeseed flowers. During our walk to the medieval center, Bob encountered some plaza art for play.

While waiting for Kristin and family to arrive, we stopped at the Casa Cacao, sat in the shade and could not resist the sugary red rose filled with chocolate mousse to enjoy with our cappuccinos.

While Bob found a local bike shop to add some air to one Travoy trailer wheel, Marney and the Sintobins set out to find the old city walls. Girona's narrow streets led to the Catalan Gothic Cathedral, and though we were too late to enter it, we stood on the plaza in front, marveling at 3 young men below us doing jumping squats up the 90 steps, then running down and repeating. 

Behind the Cathedral we found the walkway to the walls, originally built by the Romans, rebuilt many times over the centuries, and then renovated again recently. This lovely walkway ducked in and out is secluded garden spots before the hefty climb up to the walls for about a 2 km walk with a panoramic view of the city below...a pleasant way to "see" the city in our short time here.

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We two have become 2 again:

We said goodbye to the Sintobins who headed home to Brussels where we will join up again in a few weeks.  We had a great several days together--first with Kristin and Benny, then picking up Sinta, and finally joined in Barcelona by Korcho. Here's a map of our joint adventures: 

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A fast RENFE-AVE train whizzed us from Girona to Madrid in 3 hours, we spent the night in a hotel near the station and headed on another fast train to Toledo the next morning. 

We detrained in a the beautiful Mudejar-style Toledo station. 

Our next post will begin here and take us through our ten days in Toledo. In the meantime, we learn more of the history of a time when Jews, Christians and Muslims all lived here peacefully and collaboratively--and, of course, the times they did not. This past winter we read a book, The Ornament of the World by Maria Rosa Menocal that sparked our desire to visit this area.

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