May 8, 2019 - Kiersten Lofton

Leaving Madrid was something we all were hesitant to do after our wonderful time exploring the city yesterday, however the time we spent today in both Toledo and Valencia have been fruitful experiences. Our day started with a two-hour bus ride to Toledo at 8:15 am. Many of us found this bus ride to be an opportunity to catch up on sleep missed due to adjusting to time zone differences. On the other hand, others found this to be a good time to continue building upon the strong friendships we have formed so far. Regardless, the time on the bus was well spent and much needed for all of us.

 In Toledo, we went on a walking tour consisting of infamous sites such as the Gothic Cathedral, one of the oldest bridges hovering the Tagus River, and a rebuilt Moorish Style Alcazar Tower. Exquisite in nature, these monuments provided us with an understanding of Spanish late Gothic architecture. Our tour guide, Mario, went into great detail regarding the historical conflicts between the three main religious affiliations in Spain: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. We learned about the power dynamics influencing the development of the nation as it related to its architecture and political climate. Specifically, we were told about the way in which Christianity was seen as a superior religion which was ultimately reflected in the architecture.
Our group in front of the beautiful Toledo Skyline!
For lunch, we split into small groups of four or five people to find places we were satisfied with. Some people tried traditionally Spanish sandwiches while others decided to “play it safe” and get food from restaurants we knew such as Starbucks and McDonalds. Nevertheless, it was a general consensus within our group though that the food in Toledo was quite enjoyable and inexpensive.
Featured here is a garden we saw inside of the Granada Cathedral.
Immediately after lunch we boarded a bus for four hours to get to Valencia―the city we will spend the most time in. Our time in Valencia has been quite slow-paced in comparison to our time spent elsewhere as we are simply settling in the places we will call home for the next few weeks. We have spent a considerable amount of time familiarizing ourselves with the area we live in as well as getting to know the families we have been assigned. I believe I can speak for the rest of the group when I say we are all eager to continue developing as global leaders throughout the program through exposure to Valencian culture!

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