Toledo

Today was long, but also really interesting and fun. We started off the day with classes at CENP, where we had group discussions about similarities and differences between Spanish and American customs and traditions. We also practiced grammar, focusing on the past tense. After classes, we hopped on a bus and drove out to Toledo, which was about an hour away. We were lucky because although it was raining in the morning, when we got to Toledo it was sunny, and we had wonderful weather for the rest of the day. In Toledo, we had a tour guide who showed us around the city. First we went to a lookout point with beautiful panoramic views of the city. Then we walked around the old part of Toledo and visited the first Cathedral in Spain, where we saw many el Greco paintings. Later, we bought marzipan from a famous shop and walked around the old Jewish part of the city. The most interesting and surprising part of the day was when a man who is a descendent of the last Jewish people to live in Toledo invited us to tour a cave from hundreds of years ago he had found and excavated under his house. The cave had many old artifacts in it, as it was where Jews lived while they were hiding from the Spanish Reconquista. There were also many old waterways that used to distribute water around the city. It was a fascinating hidden gem of Toledo, with an incredibly rich history. After a long but wonderful day of discovering Toledo, we were all glad to go home and relax with our families.


Hoy fue un día muy largo pero también interesante y divertido. Empezamos con las clases de CENP, y hablamos sobre las costumbres de España y de los Estados Unidos. También practicamos la gramática, como el pretérito, el imperfecto, y el pluscuamperfecto. Después de las clases, fuimos a Toledo. En Toledo, hacía sol y buen tiempo. Fuimos a un puente con buena vista, y luego caminamos por la parte antigua del ciudad. Visitamos la primera Catedral de España, y vimos cuadros de El Greco. Entonces, compramos marzapán. Lo más interesante del día fue cuando un señor nos mostró una cueva que había excavado debajo de su casa. El cuevo tenía muchas cosas antiguas y una historia muy interesante. Después de un día muy largo e interesante, estábamos felices de volver a casa y relajarnos con nuestras familias.

Olivia