Toledo Y Segovia

Sadly, I have lost internet at my house, after stealing it for about 2 weeks. Its amazing how much we rely on such luxuries as instant communication! Regardless, I feel that it is time to post about what has been going on these last few days, even if it is from the computer lab at the university.
Last weekend our group took a trip to Toledo and Segovia...two very historic, beautiful places in Spain. Toledo was El Greco´s stomping ground, so naturally I was quite excited to see what was in store.

The trip was a whirlwind, a veritable exhaustive tour in two short days! After arriving in Toledo on Saturday after a 7am beginning on the bus, we promptly began our tour with a stop at The Cathedral in Toledo. Jesus, our program director and fearless leader, had much to tell us about this extremely old, sacred place. Toledo used to be the capital of Spain, so the Cathedral holds much importance and esteem in Spain. It was very large and extremely cold, and smelled like incense throughout. The Cathedral exhibits a few different architectural styles, mostly gothic, but some islamic persuasion, noticeable in the "arcos herraduras" throughout the cathedral.
My favorite part of the cathedral was an entire room dedicated to art. Jesus told us that many cathedrals had/have such rooms..put there in order to demonstrate the financial status of the cathedral. Some of the art didn´t even have a religious theme..such as two Titian still-lifes. We saw "El Expolio" by El Greco, and a Caravaggio portrait, which I was verrrryy excited about.
After the Cathedral, we went to another church which housed El Greco´s most significant work, "El entierro de Señor de Orgaz" it is HUGE...and very beautiful. There is a lot of interesting history to the work...but this post is already too long so i won´t bore you.

After some more sight-seeing, we headed to our GORGEOUS hotel with hot hot showers and comfy pillows. We all got dressed up for a dinner that was served to us buffet style...an unfortunate mass of pseudo-american food. The hamburgers and fried chicken were just...weird.
Early the next morning we filled our bellies with delicious pastries and fruit and then jumped on the bus to Segovia. We stopped off at a Summer house called La Granja..built in the style of Versailles. We romped around the gardens, and even though it was quite blustery and a bit barren, it was beautiful.
We then took in the sight of the Roman Aqueducts..the only standing aqueducts in Europe. The utility and size of it were really incredible. Those Romans were way smart. We also got to see a "mezquita" or mosque...a symbol of the many many different persuasions that have touched Spain throughout the years.
Last on the list was the Palacio of Ferdinand and Isabel..The Disney castle was modeled after it! It was beautiful and very interesting..though not as heavily ornamented as I expected it to be. The inside of the palace was large but mostly modest..except for the gorgeous guilded ceilings. Again, the arquitectural persuasion of many cultures was apparent.
Alas..it is time for fonetica española. More on classes later.
Hasta Luego!
Besos y Abrazos,
Lindsay