TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

We have probably checked every nook and cranny of Toledo on foot so by late afternoon we were a bit exhausted and just wanted to relax while waiting for the panoramic bus to return us back to the train station. We paid for retour and pick up time is every hour on the dot. Plaza Zocodover in Toledo. So we took a nice spot on Plaza Zocodover and ordered a carafe of cold sangria. This is a nice way to end our day in Toledo. A glass of cold sangria under a parasol, some nice conversations, mostly a recap of what we have seen and done during the day, while people watching of course. Unfortunately, we enjoyed so much our sangria moment that we didn’t see the bus leaving. We didn’t want to wait for another hour as we have a train to catch. Train services to Madrid run at regular intervals during the day but we prefer to arrive in the city while there is still light. We finished our sangria and caught the local bus to the train station which cost less than a euro per person. Public tr...

So now, after the delish anchovies romaine salad and tortilla light lunch and some refreshing lemon-pistacchio gelato dessert , what should we do? Ah, very simple. The answer: WALK. On a warm sunny afternoon, after a good meal, it is actually very tempting to say NAP, haha. Well, I reckon we need to walk off the calories we just ate. Toledo, like most European old places is a city made for walking. I mentioned in my previous posts that I had major information overload and brain exercise in the last weeks so walking was a great therapy for me. Back in the Netherlands, Dutchman and I walk a lot during the weekends, when its good weather, in the forest. It helps clear up our minds from the day to day challenges that we encounter at work and everyday life, and brings us back to perspective and focus. Life is short, we must strive to live day by day while controlling our destiny. Let go of things that do not build us up, and most of all, enjoy life and be happy. Very distinct of...

After our yummy romaine salad with anchovies lunch we had gelato. They are best enjoyed when temperatures are rising above 25C and on the street while walking. I always take the same gelato combination: lemon and pistacchio. Trivia: Did you know also that Toledo is famous for their marzipan? They call it MAZAPAN. Here, the local variant of marzipan is filled with egg yolks and lots of sugar. I am not a sweets fiend so I passed on the opportunity to taste it, however not taking fotos though! Thus if you find yourself in Toledo and you have a sweet tooth, do not hesitate to raid their panaderias aka bakeries =). Marzipan is a local specialty. Lots of bakeshop in Toledo. The Santo Tome bakeshop is one of the oldest and respected in Toledo. They have several branches in Toledo centre. Travel Period: June 2011 Destination: Toledo (Castile-La Mancha), Spain

Blondine and I could not find the restaurant the old man we encountered earlier recommended so we searched further. We both like nice long lunches so being particular with this we didn’t want to settle in just any restaurant. It should be in a cosy outdoor terrace with a good view to the happenings on the streets. In Europe, the continent’s favourite pastime is people watching, and the best time to do this, is of course, during lunch time! So we finally found a restaurant in the centre with an outside terrace to our liking—the ‘Placido Restaurant’. In fact the other reason why I chose the place was because I was craving for paella, which was after seeing some of the guests ordering it. Unfortunately, the restaurant didn’t have enough ingredients to serve us. The paella was sold out =( Instead, we ordered a salad, romaine lettuce draped in anchovies with tomatoes and olives, and a plate of tortilla as well. This must have been the simplest and yummiest salad I’ve had for a lon...

For the record, I knew that Toledo is a beautiful city and I should have done it justice but last June was not the best of timing when it comes to cultural trips. I just started with a new job then—ergo information overload, and coming back from a recent trip to England and a 1-week intensive course was not helping at all. The last thing I wanted to do during a long weekend trip is to exercise my brain and inspect all the cultural and historical wonders in Spain. I want to just walk, and walk, and walk. And sit in the terrace, drink wine and eat tapas. Entering the ancient city of Toledo. Upon alighting the panoramic bus in Toledo city centre, Blondine and I didn’t really know where to go. We didn’t have a map. We didn’t have a plan. We were too lazy to go to the tourist office as well to get local attractions information. It was actually refreshing to not have to plan. Thus we decided to tread off the beaten thoroughfares. We wandered around the quiet backstreets. We climbed sta...