Day Trip to Toledo

Our last full day in the Madrid area, we took the 50 minute drive out to Toledo to explore the Old Town. The Old Town in Toledo is located on the top of the hill, so after getting some free parking at the base of the hill, we took a series of 5 escalators to the top. Clara loved going on each set of escalators and then seeing more ahead of her as we ascended up.

When we arrived at the top, it was like you almost stepped back in time with the stone streets and buildings. It reminded us of the several Old Towns we had visited in Croatia and we really appreciate how so many places in Europe have upheld the architecture and integrity of the Old Towns.

The view from above was also equally amazing.

To get our bearings we needed to get a map downloaded of the town so we stopped at McDonalds to get access to some Wifi. Even though we sometimes talk about how McDonalds is not very authentic, it has been a great resource for us on our travels. Other than occasionally just needing a taste of home, you know that it can provide you free Internet, bathrooms and sometimes just a place to have a seat. I love how they blend it in with the natural architecture as well.

Santa Iglesia Cathedral

We started to explore the Old Town and our first stop was the Santa Iglesia Cathedral of Toledo. You do have to pay an admission of around 10 Euro, which I found to be a little more on the higher end of cathedral admissions; however, they do provide you a complimentary audio tour guide and it helps with the upkeep. Clara came along with me, so I figured I wouldn’t really have the opportunity to stop and listen to many things so I didn't grab one. The only unfortunate part was that they didn’t have any brochures left in English and almost all of the signage is in Spanish, so I didn’t really learn too much but just seeing the immaculate inside and art was interesting in itself. It always amazes me how they were able to do such intricate artistic work so long ago when they didn’t have the same type of resources we have now. We explored the cathedral and she was really a great companion and was super quiet when we were inside; I think she liked it because it was a mommy/daughter date as well. There was a lot to see inside and the altar was one of my favourite parts, as it had series of statues depicting the various events of Jesus’ life; almost like it was a storybook.

Toddler & Infant in Spain

After our visit to the cathedral we ate our lunch in the square - where our daughter had her favourite pastime of running up and down stairs pretending she was Elsa from Frozen.

When we went to Cuba, people were very enthralled with the baby, but so far the kids hadn’t gotten the same type of attention that they did in Cuba. The exception to that is the older ladies - we have had several of them stop to say ‘hello’ and give their smiles to Connor. Our Spanish is horrible and I only know a few key words and phrases, but it was funny when one of the older ladies asked us how old our son was and we told her 7 months, she replied, “Mucho grande!”

Narrow Side Streets

One of our favourite parts of the Old Town was exploring the little side streets. Sometimes you'd think the street is so small that there is no way a car can get down it; then all of a sudden you’ll see one coming around the corner. It was super amusing when we saw a little truck coming down one little road and there was a tourist group trying to go up it! They tucked into little corners and then some had to go to the bottom of the street as there was no where else for them to go and still have space for the vehicle to pass by.

Santa Maria la Blanca Synagogue

We continued to explore the Old Town and visited the Santa Maria la Blanca Synagogue. It was interesting to see, but after the exquisite cathedral it seemed fairy simple. However, it was interesting to see the Jewish quarter of the Old Town.

Happy Hour for the Parents

In the mid afternoon while we were exploring, our daughter fell asleep while riding in her stroller, and then the Connor fell asleep as well in the carrier. This rarely happens that both are sleeping at the same time, even at home, so we took the opportunity to stop and get a drink of beer at one of the little street cafes. It was a nice to be sitting under the cover when a light rain came through. When Connor woke up from his snooze he got some extra love from the waitress too.

For dinner we stopped at this little pizzeria that was underground called COM ES. They were very family friendly as they had a little highchair and a booster seat for both kids! The pizza was super delicious too - thin crust with some Spanish toppings like ham! I had never seen our daughter eat her pizza so fast and finish all of it! Two thumbs up for pizza!