Day 9 of the tour "Two Poles of Passion" Segovia and Toledo.
Excellent breakfast. Departure at 8.50. Even though we met at 8:30. This time our guide overslept.
Today the day starts with Segovia. Then at 14.00 excursion to Toledo. Who wants to stay in Madrid.
We are going on both tours. I understand very well that we will not have time for Madrid. This is the only major city on the tour that I don't remember at all. There are photos, I look at them - but there is no feeling of the city. Didn't walk, didn't feel. Electives took all my free time. I didn’t even buy a magnet in Madrid, in principle. Then I regretted it, I saw such a bright one)))
It was necessary to at least somehow prepare for that free time that was last night and, in addition to the Prado, take a walk at least in the city center. It's funny - I remember exactly how Prague sounds in the evening; what is the air on the Seine embankment; what colors Barcelona sparkles. Memories are voluminous, multifaceted. And Madrid remained just a picture.
Segovia is 86 km away. The town is located in the mountains, it is worth dressing warmly. The sun peeked out half way. The city is small, full of flowers and greenery. Shops and cafes are still closed in the morning. Of course, we came there to see the famous ancient Roman aqueduct. Huge arches 28 meters high rise on the central square of the city. We barely managed to notice the very beginning of the aqueduct, we passed at the entrance to the city, where it was low and inconspicuous, only a couple of meters of the preserved wall.
On the square there is a copy of the Capitoline Wolf with Romulus and Remus, immediately reminiscent of school history lessons. The sculpture was donated to the city in 1974 for the bimillennium of the aqueduct. And another attraction is the Alcazar Castle. The information center gave out maps of the city and set off.
After twenty minutes of the tour, we realized that we remember little: dates, dates, names... we decided to take a walk ourselves. Fortunately, the route is not difficult and goes almost along one road to the castle and then back to the aqueduct to the central square. By the time we got to the castle, we had time to take pictures - and the views there are beautiful - our group has already caught up with us.
In their free time, they went shopping. Right on the road from the castle we found a funny boutique "Kukul" with very unusual clothes and jewelry from Peru, Nepal, etc. Purchased with pleasure: skirts, tunics, sweaters, bijouterie. Bright color combinations, we rarely see such combinations and the quality is good.
Toledo is 120 km away. As we were later told, if we imagine Madrid as the center of the watch dial, then Segovia is located approximately at the number 11, and Toledo at 7. So we stop by Madrid for those who wish to Toledo and forward. Now these distances seem just toy, small. In Toledo, the guide is magnificent, in love with his city. First stop for a photo break at the observation deck above the city. The main part of the tour was here. The city has narrow streets and it was inconvenient to stop, we interfered with passers-by and heard little ourselves. The view is simply fabulous, breathtaking. The city as in the palm of your hand from below outlined by the river. Above the roofs of low buildings rise the walls of the Castle, the spiers of Temples and Cathedrals.
But there was still a magnificent culmination of the tour ahead, which I almost missed. I wanted to leave the second half of the review, it's good that my daughter persuaded me to stay. The birthplace of the famous hidalgo from La Mancha managed to impress us - the Cathedral of Toledo made an unforgettable impression - a combination of mystically beautiful architecture, space and history. Gothic cathedral built on the site of a Moorish mosque and a Visigothic church. Looking around, we even got lost in the temple. I had to call our Galochka and ask them to find us. Portal of Forgiveness, portal of Lions, literally glowing paintings by El Greco in the Sacristy. In the chapel of the Body of the Lord, you feel the transience of what is happening around... A light window in the ceiling and as if angels hovering around it - you raise your head and you lose your sense of reality.
I wanted to re-read Feuchtwanger's "Spanish Ballad". Now I understand my friend who a few years ago, after returning from Spain, with a gleam in her eyes, poked me this book and enthusiastically whispered: "Read it. " I read it, but now I’ll read it again, in a different way... Here is a small sketch for the book, often found on the Internet, I specifically looked for it, I wanted to remember those shades of mood and, maybe someone else will be interested: “There was a Muslim girl in another picture with a basket full of roses, and in front of the girl, in embarrassment, stood a Moor of a regal appearance and in royal attire.... this is Princess Casilda and her father, the King of Toledo - Al Menon. Casilda, secretly brought up by her nurse in the Christian faith, fearlessly carried food to Christian captives who were dying of hunger in her father's dungeons. The king learned about this from an informer and unexpectedly appeared before his daughter. He sternly asked what was in her basket. There was bread there, but she said, "Roses. " In anger, he lifted the lid - and what? The bread turned into roses. " Lion Feuchtwanger "Spanish Ballad".
It is difficult to describe the treasury in general, you just have to see it. The phrase “made of gold, silver, precious stones and weighs about 180 kg” does not convey even a tenth of that splendor from fine workmanship, from the smallest details of jewelry and the amazing effect of combining golden and silver hues.
Free time begins and, of course, the purchase of souvenirs for our men. Knives, scissors, skewers. And inlaid, with mystical figures in decoration patterns. Nail scissors and a small, elegant knife with a smooth wooden handle. Why he me, I have no idea, but I could not resist. Girlfriends and relatives - jewelry: earrings, pendants, bracelets, hairpins for ties. In the store, on the sidelines, a young man is sitting and, right before our eyes, a pretty little pendant is born in his hands. In Toledo, a peculiar style of costume jewelry is gold carving on black enamel. Looks original.
We leave about eight in the evening, returning directly to the hotel.
By the way, today the so-called "meridian" of travel or "slide" on the student - half the way behind. Tomorrow, as it were, the road home begins.
