Primero Viaje en Coche

Just before Christmas vacation my driver’s license card finally, FINALLY arrived in the mail! This was REALLY exciting news because we’ve been living in Spain for over a year now, and haven’t been able to hit the road and explore--legally. We had no plans to travel over the break because this time of year is the peak selling season for my husband and he is tied to his workstation. So, while he worked away, the kids and I found ways to entertain ourselves for the first two weeks, but that driver’s license was burning a hole in my wallet!

The last weekend of break January 6th-8th was the only potential opportunity for my husband to take a couple days off. The Monday before, I decided that I’d read enough interesting things about Toledo to warrant a trip. I booked a hotel on lastminutehotel.com with minimal research but found one in the heart of the city for a great price. Davin requested Friday off from work, and the trip was booked!

I looked at our drive to find any cities/towns along the way that might be worth a stop. Cuenca was one that stood out, and it only added an hour and a half to the trip, so we hit the road on January 6th, Three Kings Day, which is the Christmas holiday in Spain. We only saw a few other cars on the roads which were otherwise empty as we made our way through the beautiful changing terrain of the Castilla de la Mancha.

CUENCA
The highlights of Cuenca were eating delicious "arroz con bogavante", meandering through the cobbled streets, the "casas colgadas" (hanging houses), crossing the "puente San Pablo", and enjoying the views of the city perched upon limestone rock overlooking the Jùcar and Huécar rivers.

TOLEDO

We left Cuenca and made our way toward Toledo. It was killing me to be driving because there were non-stop opportunities for incredible photos of the countryside. We drove through hilly landscape with coniferous trees, then suddenly it flattened out to farmland filled with vineyards and other crops. Scattered along the ridges of hills were large modern windmills. What I found particularly fascinating was to watch the color or the soil change from light tan, to dark brown, then to a deep reddish orange as we drove throughout the region. It is always delightful to drive throughout Spain encountering small pueblos with the castle ruins atop a hill and the unique church tower protruding from the city center.

As we neared Toledo I didn’t know what to expect as I hadn’t looked at many photographs. The sun was just about to set, and as we saw the city situated in her fortress from afar, the tops of the buildings reflecting the sun’s orange glow. Luckily Davin had researched a place to park beforehand because the city today is just as it was hundreds of years ago, thus not designed for cars. I couldn’t believe driving through the cobbled streets that often barely allowed a car to enter. Cars often have to turn in the side view mirrors to get through. When we walked through the streets later that day I had my body pressed into a building as a car passed through and sucked in my stomach as to not hit the side view mirror!

We arrived at our (last minute booked) Hotel Greco located in the Jewish district and were shocked when we walked in, as we’re used to going the budget hotel route. At a budge route price, we lucked out on this four-star gem right in the heart of the city with an amazing buffet breakfast. At this point, we were feeling high!

Toledo is simply amazing. It is incredibly beautiful and truly gives you an experience of stepping back into ancient times. The stone buildings are beautifully preserved, and the narrow winding cobbled stone streets offer surprises around every corner. There are historical monuments, cathedrals, and mezquitas all in walking distance within the city walls. I remember hearing the phrase “Holy Toledo!” growing up and just recently learned that it is a reference to the fact that Toledo was a truly holy city because it had Jews, Muslims (Moors), and Christians all living together peacefully. In the various areas of the city, you get a feel for the different influences each group had on the architecture.

It was very, very cold (35 degrees Fahrenheit) when we set out to explore the city, which that morning was covered in fog. Wandering through the streets in the fog and not being able to see outside the city walls was magical. Toledo is filled with shops selling ancient swords as well as gold detailed jewelry and plates. Often the shops have a man in the window, hand crafting the designs. It would take some ninja parenting skills to visit Toledo with kid(s) and not purchase a sword. We managed to convince our kids that they will share our new/ancient Toledian sword.

In the afternoon we hiked an hour out of the city to get a panoramic view of the city - a must! We found and climbed the highest rock on the hill and the kids' imaginations ran wild, prompting mock soldier battles and sieges. Davin and I couldn't belive the kids hiked both an hour there and back after walking through the city all morning but they loved it just as much as we did.

ALMANSA

We were excited to begin the journey back to Javea and see new countryside because we were taking a different route home. However, the fog sort of derailed that excitement. Outside of Toledo, the land (that we could see) was covered in frost and we were surrounded in a thick fog that stayed for the first few hours of our trip. This was disappointing because I wanted to see the old “molinos” (windmills) in Alcazar de San Juan or perhaps Tomelloso. We could barely see the car ahead of us for most of the trip until the fog broke when we neared the town Almansa.

The town was easy to see from the highway because of the high castle situated atop a hill. We walked into the town which at first seemed dead, until we found the city park that was packed with what seemed like the entire town sitting outside at tables strategically placed in the sunshine, drinking and socializing. After we refueled with a bocadillo, we set up to check out the castle, but discovered it was under restoration construction. I wonder if the town just realized the value it would have if opened as a tourist destination.

After hours of driving through foggy, frosty, central Spain, we were happy to return the sun and ocean in coastal Spain - much of the time spent planning our next Spanish road trip!

Oh- I almost forgot to mention that this ten hour plus journey was "survived" by our children Declan and Volly Johnson who did not have at any time a phone, tablet, or digital device throughout the trip. They sang songs, played with legos, and of course fought at times but we are all better people for it.