One of the risks about traveling to any country in the “off-season” is that you might encounter unseasonal weather. For instance, going to Japan in the off-season and one is likely to encounter rainy days or going to Iceland in the “off-season” and one is likely to experience hail, rain, sleet with some sun in between – it is the still the only country, I have been to where I have seen the 4 seasons in one day.
Toledo in the “off-season” is not the greatest event in the world, if the weather is bad since touring Toledo requires a lot of uphill walking, which is great for aerobic exercise and health, but when one is battling windy conditions and some snow then walking uphill in rain is not the greatest idea in the world, although where can you see orange trees in the snow.
Bad weather aside, going in the “off-season” is a good idea, since a day trip to Toledo is included in the itinerary of most holidaymakers in Madrid, so inevitably the streets and monuments are often packed with national and international tourists. Avoiding the crowds is enough of an incentive for me to visit Toledo mid-week during a low-season month. The city has a long tradition of catering for tourists and has tons of hotels and restaurants, as well as the inevitable gift and souvenir shops spilling out onto the streets.
During the 13th century Toledo became one of the few places in Spain where Moors, Christians and Jews managed to live together and tolerate eachother more or less peacefully and because of this, one can experience religious and architectural overload, as the town has mosques, synagogues and churches. This mix of religious structures and history is one of the city’s unique characteristics.
As for me, after taking the bus uphill from the station (it is possible to walk up to the town from the bus station, on a clear sunny day and if you’re in excellent cardiac health – otherwise spend €0.90 and take the bus), I got off at the main square (which is fraught with tourist shops and an excellent tourist center) and got a map and it was off to the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes. If you read the tourist paraphernalia, it will mention that is a well known example of Gothic architecture.
I was more fascinated by the orange trees in the snow, how quiet and lovely the silence was and by this creepy moulding.
As for the monastery/church itself, I thought was just average. When one is “churched-out”, which is the phenomenon of seeing too many cathedrals in your life to be overwhelmed by them anymore, they all seem to blend into each other.
After the church, it was on to the Sinagogue of Saint María la Blanca. One of my pet peeves with Toledo was the €1.90 – €2.30 fee that you got tagged with, to see every church, synagogue and temple. I know they have to make money to maintain these beautiful places, but it still irks me.
I could keep writing about the other synagogues, the Cathedral and the panoramic views from the bell tower, but in the end, it was a cold and miserable day.
After all the religion, all I could think about was some hot paella and tea. If you’re wondering what Toledo looks like in the winter or the off-season … look no further!
Toledo
Headed up to Toledo : 15th February 2010
Feb 222010There is a lot of romance associated with backpacking. Tons of stories of young adults who either just are in or just finished university, making their first backpacking trips across Europe. It’s become a right of passage and when joining the workforce, it gives those who’ve travelled, extra confidence that they know a bit of the world, since they had their 2 week “Contiki” experience, complete with drinking adventures with strangers who speak different languages and some pictures of the experience.
Europe, is of course the easiest and least challenging place to travel
- Reliable rail/bus service
- Porous borders once you’re actually in the EU
- Interconnected routes
- Cheap flights between destinations
- Safe and good hostel network
- Information booths at every airport, train station and city center
That being said, I have zero issues with “easy traveling”; I like the fact that I expect zero issues when travelling through Western Europe. It’s almost like travelling through Canada or the US, except with different languages. The more one travels, the more one realizes that we are inherently the same people. The food in different regions can be all very similar. For instance, if someone can prove to me that “Pelau” from Trinidad, “Rice Pilaf” in North America, “Paella” in Spain or “Biryani” in India/Pakistan are fundamentally different dishes, then I’ll become a vegetarian.
As one matures as a person and as a traveller, it is in our nature to increase the difficulty of the challenge, because natural habituation occurs. We seek to wander to more remote places, abandon the creature comforts we know, try truly exotic cuisine (Spicy fried crickets, or Hakarl – Rotting Shark.. anyone?) or some even go to the extreme of vagabonding or “Slow travel”.
Backpacking for extended periods of time, is challenging to the psyche and to the body, especially if you’re someone who doesn’t adapt well to unnatural/unfamiliar surroundings. Personally, when travelling to places where English is not the mother tongue, in a couple days/weeks one can become quite isolated in a sea of foreign tongues and customs. You find yourself gravitating to semi-familiar surroundings, hence why in Southern Spain, I prefer having Arabic food. I know the cuisine well (I know which items have dairy or not), I know enough Arabic words (not just “Sharmut/Sharmuta”) and customs to order and be friendly with the shop owners and I know it will be good. Arabs/Middle Easterners are always impressed when they find out I am from Trinidad, since I’m usually the first person from Trinidad, they’ve ever met. I’m peppered with questions about the geography, the race of the people, the language and what we actually do there for money. Invariably, they are always surprised that we have so much racial and cultural diversity in Trinidad. When I explain that we have our own version of Falafel (there is little difference between a “Kachorie or Saheena” and a Falafel … although the Syrian mafia in Trinidad, would have you believe differently).
Travelling can become costly and time consuming, which is why most people in North America give it up when they become part of the “rat race” because of a multitude of factors ranging from having only 2 or 3 weeks vacation, project deadlines, fear of traveling and just everyday life issues. Backpacking in hostels and “Couchsurfing” can easily remove a lot of costs associated with travel, but then that also means giving up our creature comfort of personal space, sharing with strangers and necessarily interacting at close quarters with unknown elements. All that being said, I feel better inside, when the pains in my shins and legs are from hiking up Tibidabo or Montjucic rather than sitting at a desk all day and waiting for 5pm to arrive.
Feb 172010See update 16th March 2010 at the end….
This is a question, I get a lot on forums or even from friends who are thinking about Europe, so I thought I would answer it. This is the 5th time that I am using a Eurail pass. My present pass is a first class (preferente) Spain/Portugal pass that costs $589CDN but with the last minute nature of this trip, I had to pay an extra 20$ for shipping, making the total investment $619CDN. I have always questioned the cost/benefit ratio of first class rail passes, because there are always fee supplements with using the first class pass. In Italy, I paid an extra 175$ in supplements for the pass, Conversely, the extra space, lack of students and crowds make for a better experience that is worth the additional premium. Additionally, there are always extra power sockets to charge your cameras/laptop and other gadgets.
First class rail travel is a relaxing time out from the struggle of backpacking. My cost/benefit analysis for first class rail travel vs tourist class includes:
- There’s always a lounge with free drinks and liquor and snacks. I save money on things I would normally buy anyway.
- Free Wi-Fi in the lounge. Huge plus ++
- Enhanced customer service experience, where they are willing to go the extra mile for you. This makes a difference when you’re struggling with the language, have no idea where to make a reservation, have no idea how much the reservation will cost or just makes you feel better after a long day of lugging a backpack around.
- No crowds around you and no noise. First class cabins are usually filled business travellers – not many backpackers are in first class, so I always getamusement from the looks or asking the porters why they only checked my ticket, but ignored everyone.
- My favorite question is, “It’s because I’m Trinidadian, isn’t it????” … then they look confused, since they don’t even know where Trinidad is.
- My second favorite question is, “It’s because I’m fat, isn’t it?” … that then puts a horrified look on the porter’s face, apologies start flowing out, and then I can’t stop my laughter (yes my sense of humor is a bit twisted at times).
- Dinner and unlimited booze on the train. Decent scotch can make anything better – Chivas Regal 12 seems to be “de rigeur” on trains, European or North American.
The fee comparison of a one way Madrid – Barcelona segment (17-02-2010) is
Turista: €134,50
Preferente: €201,70
Club: €242,00The fee comparison of a one way Barcelona – Seville segment (20-02-2010) is
Turista: €158,50
Preferente: €247,70
Club: €284,00The train ride from Madrid to Barcelona on AVE can range from 2:38 to 3:19 in duration, depending on the time of day that one takes the train.
My entire Eurail pass cost €359, so basically for the price of a Madrid to Barcelona and Barcelona to Seville first class segment, the pass becomes very cost effective. If I were to travel 3.5 segments in tourist class, the pass would also become very cost effective. Making reservations on any european train is a little tougher with the pass. The very nature of the pass means that there is no assigned seat for you, since the ticket is an open unlimited ticket, so it becomes very important to understand the conditions around the ticket and the reservation process. Each pass is different, so the first time “activating” the pass can become tedious.
Update 16th March, 2010:
Even though the pass paid for itself after 3 segments, other benefits
- 1st class reservation fee from Lisbon to Porto is €4 instead of the €40.50, you would normally pay. I did this trip 3 times, hence I saved €120.
Turista €28.50
Preferente € 40,50 - 1st class reservation fee from Sevilla to Cordoba was €6. The fee comparison of a one way Sevilla Santa Justa to Cordoba Central segment (16-03-2010) is
Turista €32.10
Preferente €47.50
Club €57.00 - Reservation fee from Sevilla to Granada was €8 – there are no AVE trains, just regular regionale service. The fee comparison of a one way Sevilla Santa Justa to Granada segment (16-03-2010) is
Turista €23.85
One key point is that there is even cheaper rail service and bus services between these cities, so one could always cut down the transportation expense dramatically, by taking regional services (R) and intercity (IC) instead of the AVE or ALFA services in Spain and Portugal respectively. You do get what you pay for, and I don’t happen to enjoy being cooped up like a chicken in a bus.
Feb 152010
When you live anywhere for a long time, mundane events like route and terminal changes are inconsequential to your life, simply because we have our set patterns and routines. We have our timings down to the minute and we rely on those constants to maintain order in our lives. Traveling to a completely new place [... Click here to keep on reading this article]
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