The Aranjuez/Toledo Adventure! (Part 1!)

Hola amigos! Tuesday afternoon here, and I`m up and running to type my blog to recap all of this weekend in Aranjuez/Toledo!

Once again, I`ll have to divide this up into two posts, simply because they`re a bit long to write all in one!

So let`s see... where was I last?

So it was Friday night, and the clock was ticking as I packed away all of my clothing, alarm clock, and food I`d need to enjoy my weekend without lacking anything. This time I definately packed some shampoo, as last weekend I had gone out and bought some cheap version, which burned my eyes quite a bit. This was my second trip by myself, and this time I felt more experienced, as I had successfully completed it last week with no worries!

My bus to Madrid was at 1:30 AM, so I opted not to sleep- 12 AM really wasn`t long to wait for, and the time flew by just as quickly. I left the quiet of my house to the lit streets of Granada, where the night was just beginning to pick up. Backpack`d up, I made my way to the bus station in about 50 minutes or so. (Bus station is on the other side of town)

I glanced up at the slow changing times, and ticket in hand, waited for my bus to arrive. As usual, the bus didn`t show up at exactly 1:25, but rather 1:35- better, I suppose, for last minute runners. There wasn`t a big group going to Madrid, but that just indicates most people don`t want to travel at 1:30 AM in the morning! But the boarding was quick, and I took my seat near the front, and immediately dozed for the next 5 hours. Only for a moment did I open my eyes, and that was when the driver made a brief stop at a gas station. I simply ignored it, and scrunched back up against the window.

Soon enough, light begin to fill into the bus, and I squinted my eyes to see a city barely 5 minutes away from us. Madrid! I checked my watch- 6:30 AM, that would be just the time as well! I pondered how I would get to Aranjuez that morning as the bus rumbled into the city- would I get one immediately, or would I have to wait an hour? Let`s Go! promised there was a bus that ran to Aranjuez every 30 minutes, but I wouldn`t believe it until I saw it.

The bus ran down a lowered ramp into an underground tunnel, and then the darkness opened into a huge bus station. It was rows and rows and rows of buses, with different levels, numbers, etc. It made the big bus station of Granada look like a small parking lot! But Madrid, like Malaga, is a big transportation hub, so all in all I wasn`t too surprised- mostly impressed!

6:46 AM and I was out on the pavement, hastily trying to figure out where to go from there. Oh! There`s a sign! Translate.. okay, so that`s the main center for buses. Ok. I`ll go there. Up the escalaters..

The scene was busy with human traffic, but I managed to find my way to towards the long rows of ticket booth. Where was the times? Behind me, as I turned to look up at the huge screen. Bus stations here seem like airports, with departure times and all. Just a lot less hassle with security!
Aranjuez, Aran... yes! 7:15 AM! That`s the one I want! I headed down to find the bus, and a quick enquiry later, I was back in the station buying my bus ticket. Each bus route has a different form of payment- some you just pay on the bus, others you have to go to the teller. This bus was a teller-bus, and I bit my lip as 7:15 AM began to crawl closer and closer- would I miss this bus, and wait for another 30 minutes?

Nope! I shucked over 4.67 Euros, and ticket in hand, ran down the stairs. I probably had about another 5 minutes until go time, but my near-miss experience with the Morocco bus has made me a bit paranoid about departure times. The driver ripped my ticket, and I picked fancy spot near the window to stare out and peek a bit into Madrid. And then we were off!

We were actually on the outskirts of the city, so I really didn`t see the big skyscrapers and other city-like things I was expecting in Madrid- however, I did get to see a lot of the surrounding area, which reflected a bit of the city, yet kept it`s own sense of identity. Aranjuez was only about 50 minutes away, but it was about a 70 minute ride there- our bus made about a million stops before we got there, dropping off locals on the way to work. I`m not sure how tourists get to Aranjuez, (maybe train?) because I was definately the only non-local on that bus!

But finally around 8:20 we pulled in Aranjuez, and my first impression was of a sleepy, smaller town- the smallest city I`d visited my entire trip. I was actually a bit relieved- I was a bit tired from Madrid, and this town looked promising to deliver a day trip, and not one that would have me on the edge trying to figure out the layout.

The bus pulled in front of a building, (no bus station here- ha!) and let off the few of us that hadn`t gotten off earlier. I turned and watched the bus go, as the rest scattered off into the town. Okay... now what? I didn`t have any sort of map, as Let`s Go! didn`t have one in the book, so I figured if I walked long enough, I was doomed to walk into something.

I walked to where we had turned from a large roundabout, and tried to get my bearings. Okay, I`m guessing I`m somewhere in this small town`s center- that`s a good sign. I turned to my left, and spied a most magnificient looking building- how had I missed that when we pulled in!?

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4887.jpg

I knew that must be some important structure, but it couldn`t be the famous palace here-a palace would certaintly be a bit bigger than that! This came from what I knew prior to visiting Aranjuez. I knew this town was a vacation palace for the Spanish Royals up to the early 1900s, and famous for its luxurious gardens. But my gaze cast ahead of me, as an important building peeked out behind a large expansion of green. Well, I think I`ve found part of the gardens:

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A large information tourist sign was right next to the garden, and I eagerly began reading- okay. That building I saw was apparently a church, and ahead of me was the Island gardens. Behind them was the Palace, and near the church was a tourist booth- but it wasn`t open till 10. Okay. I have some time to kill before I can get a map.

I walked to inspect the back of the sign, and it posted opening times of different attractions around Aranjuez. The palace didn`t open till 9, in fact- most everything didn`t open till 9. It was around 8. Hm. But wait- the gardens open at 8 AM. Excellent. I`ll go visit the Island garden!

The gate was open as I walked into the gardens, the early morning sun not too strong on my skin. There was only a guard walking around, and he gave me merely a glance, and continued opening different gates for entry. I hardly knew where to begin, as this garden was HUGE! To the right was a large expansion, and in front of me was a rushing river, and to the left was what looked like a garden forest.

I toured every single part of the huge garden, (and I mean, miles of garden here.) It was gorgeous to say the least, and it truly was a small piece of Heaven for royalty- now in 2008, a magnificient excursion for the not-so-royal me. I took so many pictures of this beautiful place, so I`ll let my camera tell the story in the way words can`t:

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(a heck a lot more on my photobucket, since I was so impressed with these gardens- the Aranjuez pictures are a bit out of order, but all the same, an excellent impression of what it was like there!)

After strolling through the epic journey through the jardin de Isla, I wanted to check out the palace, and get a good scope of it. The time was near 9:30 AM, so I figured I could go get a looksee around the palace, and then go and wait by the Tourist office to get myself a fancy map.

I walked down past the garden, more guards present as I drew closer to the palace. Bored to death, they began watching my every move as I scuffled across the dusty plaza- I wish I could have done something more entertaining, but it was early and I was still groggy from my bus ride!

I made a loop around the front of the palace, taking a couple of pictures and promising myself that I would visit after I had gotten my map and hostel taken care of:

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Nice!

The road next to the palace looked promising, so I opted to follow away from the palace. It lead me straight back to the Church of before, which was excellent in that I knew the tourst office was somewhere nearby. I took more pictures of this building and the nearby fountain- and reflecting through my pictures, this building was practically my favorite one...it seems to show up every so often in my album:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4931.jpg


I wandered around the plaza, trying to find the mysterious tourist office, as it wasn`t labeled with a huge sign or anything. I walked up and around the church, crossing onto a road that immediately had my camera targeted on its name:

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The Tourist office was nearby.. and a helpful street sign guided me onto the adjoining road, where I walked along the side, the long slant of buildings full of windows and.. there! There! An information sign was placed on the side of the door, which was why I had trouble finding it.

So it was only about a 20 minute wait for the tourist office to open, and I busied myself with eating a small breakfast of half a sandwhich my host mom had packed for me. However, the place I was sitting was crawling with ants, so I waged a mini-war trying to keep them off me and away from my food. Eventually the ants got too annoying, so I lurked into a shady spot to stand, and munch on the food.

10 AM rolled around, and then the information office finally opened. Hurrah! I quickly went inside, and asked the receptionist for a map. She gave me a handy map, and then went about marking different places I should definately make sure to visit in my stay. I thanked her for her excellent help, and wandered out of the nice, air conditioned building.

I wanted to go straight to the palace, but first I had to go about making sure I had a room for the night. I wasn`t too worried-Aranjuez seemed small enough that I wouldn`t have to go hostel-hunting like in Càdiz. I remembered from earlier that morning a hostel that was right next door to the bus stop, hostel Infantas. Hm. That seems like a good idea- right next to the bus station, which would be convinient in the morning. Good idea!

So I began to head back in that general direction, though I cut through a lovely garden that was constructed by Queen Isabella the 2nd. It had a statue in the middle she had commissioned herself, of herself as a young child: (NOTE: photobucket has randomly decided to stop working right now, so I can`t post the link to the picture.. I`ll challenge you to try and find it! Check it out on my photobucket!)

It was a small garden, but all the same, quite pretty!

Maybe 5 minutes later had me heading inside the hostel`s reception, and a quick question for the receptionist: A single room for the night, and how much?. The rate was 24 euros without a shower, 34 with. Well.. I personally didn`t care about a shower being in the room, ( there was one down the hall) so I had one without. (saving moneeeeey!)

Surprisingly, for a single room, I got two bed one.. I guess the single ones were booked, so they gave me it instead:

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Pretty nice, eh? (notice the map and Let`s go! book.. my constant companions..!)

I put all my things down, and laid out my clothes to lighten the load in my backpack. I kept all the things I`d need for the day, such as my waterbottle and wallet, but everything else got to camp out in the room.

From there I went to pay my rate, and turn in my key while I was out. In hostels, (what I learned in Càdiz) is unlike hotels, you don`t get a card key for starters. You get a real key, and you give it to the receptionist to hold on to while you`re out. I guess it`s to prevent keys getting lost or stolen.. but I don`t know. I just know you have to do it!

Stepping out into the street, I couldn`t help but notice the once sleepy town was now alive with tourists. When I had arrived that morning, it had been dead quiet- now people with maps, sunscreen, and sunglasses were all over the place. Hm. I better head over to the palace, lest I have to wait in a line!

I walked over to the palace from hostel, a mere 10 minute trip down the road. Music from a poor musician, (lots in Spain- people that beg by playing an instrument to garner attention.) hummed in the background, as tourists yammered on in their respective languages. I kept on walking, finally arriving to the area where I had seen the guards milling around earlier. The door was now open, and time for me to enter into the Royal Palace-how exciting!


I was drilled through security checkpoint, my bag getting scanned to make sure I didn`t have anything that would be dangerous I suppose. Guards were everywhere here- so I knew this had to be good!

I took a couple of pictures of the first room I was allowed into, that had different pictures and history of the palace:

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The path then lead me through the Museum`s shop, which I mentally remembered to return to later. But a large door opened the way outside, and I curiously followed, and stepped out to the courtyard..out in front of the Palace itself:

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Wowzers!

Unfortunatly, this was all I could take of pictures of the palace. As soon as I walked inside that building, a large sign said NO PHOTOS. Augh! I was a bit sad not to be able to take pictures, and ironically, that would be a problem that would plague me the rest of the weekend, simply because most of the places I visited were so old!

Needless to say, the interior of the palace was huge, but gorgeous. I mean.. it was a palace. Think something out of the 1700s- wigs, fancy dress, giant paintings, luxorious carpets, hand-carved everything.. I mean, that`s exactly what I thought of when I stepped into the place. The ceilings were always hand painted, the tables were huge and extravagant... the things of royals. Large sculptures of Greek gods and godesses, (that seemed to be the hippest thing back the day) curving clock, plush seats, large desks...I could go on and on about every individual detail. The rooms.. I mean the rooms! One room was even made entirely out of porcelain. Entirely! Hand carved figurenes of porcelain, the ceiling.. its almost unimaginable. I mean, could they do that today? I don`t think so- the amount of time, money, and effort they put in those days into prettying that house.. incredible to say the least.

http://www.patrimonionacional.es/aranj/aranjuez.htm

(Here`s their website, they have a few pictures of rooms up.. just to give you an idea how insane these rooms were!)

The palace wasn`t just a show and tell of pretty paintings and luxurious rooms- this was the Spring palace, where the Royals would also hold court. A lot of history took place here, as evident by the adjoining display in the palace. It detailed the lives of each individual royal who had made their home here, showing such items as paintings, toys, robes, painted fangs, and even some royal jewels were on display. And once again, before I could even enter the place, NO PHOTOS!

But as always, that just means you all will have to visit someday to see this place for yourselves.. and if you don`t mind, invite me with you!

I spent a good part of my time in the Palace and its adjouning, as I am a reader/browser (translation: I take forever) It was well into the afternoon when I finally left the place, and as I exited, I took one more photo from a distance of the beautiful palace:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4941.jpg

Where should I go from there, I wondered? I whipped out my map, (and my tasty sanwhich too) and began to eat my lunch, and try and figure it out. Well.. it was getting really, really hot. (I`m telling you, it was near boiling point that afternoon... yikes!) Shady anything sounded good. Hmm.. how about the Jardin de Principe? The map indicated it was a huge area to cover, so I ate my lunch to energize myself for the trip.. but ugh, the sun was really draining my energy.. time to find the shade!

I walked along the old road, la calle de la Reina (Queen`s way), soon looking through a gated area that was full of trees and shade. The entrance was soon ahead of me:

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I entered into the cool, wonderful shade of the trees.. and like before, the garden simply amazed me. Towering trees, beautiful fountains, and more green than you could shake a stick at.. I mean this garden was miles long. Miles! On the map, it practically took up half the town.. the size, the amount of time... just incredible.

This entry specifically is just one that has to be told in pictures....

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(more on photobucket, but going through these pictures is slightly frustrating.. you just can`t capture how big this garden was!)

I spent a good deal of time wandering through the garden, enjoying the cool breeze that would occasionally graze my skin. Hm... I flipped open my map as I wandered down one of the many beaten down roads.. there was an exhibit on gondola-like ships used by the royals to cruise down the local rio (river).. I wanted to go see that, for sure! I followed a couple of signs that pointed me to the exhibit, always ducking into the shade. Okay I`ll make a right here... wait, what was that?

Something had darted across the road. A bird of some kind... but pigeons aren`t that big. What was it? I had to go find out... I lurked over to the bushes where I had seen it gone. Okay, here birdy.....birdy.. BIRD!

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(more on photobucket.... I was really fascinated with this bird.)

It was a pheasant! (or a grouse... one of them) It wasn`t too sure of me as I approached, but it didn`t take off in terror- rather, it simply walked away from me, always keeping a steady eye in case I changed my mind. I think that hunting has been banned in this park for quite some time, since I knew the royal family enjoyed it... but that gave me ample opportunity to take lots and lots of pictures!

After hassling the bird for photos, I made my way over to the nearest building, which turned out to indeed be the exhibition I was looking for:

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But alas, as soon as I arrived and paid my entry fee, an evil sign declared.. no photos! Baugh! Sighing in disappointment, I slid my camera back into my pocket, walking into the small exhibit.. but by Jove, (I`m picking up an English accent here too... oh bother!) there were never a grander looking gondola in my sight before! Golden arches, hand carve caricatures of angels and other mythological creatures... it was the luxury pastime of the royals to go down the local river in style, and they really, really had some insane style!

I enjoyed peering into all the gondolas and looking at the divine decorations, and reading about all the different periods and people that had used them. Imagine going down the river in a boat colored and carved like gold... it`s really hard to picture it, but these legit boats erased all doubt in my mind!

Soon I had to leave the exhibit, and go back out into the heat of the day. Ugh. The heat was starting to get to me to the point I stopped sweating. Usually you associate sweat with heat, but by that point, my body had spent all of my water sweating earlier, so I was high and dry, but feeling a bit tired. I sucked down some water I had gotten from a fountain in my bottle, continuing to lurk into the shade. Ugh.. so hot!

I continued walking down the many roads through the garden, touring down in the most shady parts, looking upon fountains, and vegetation of every variety:

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After about 20 minutes strolling down a long road, a sign pointed me to something Chinese (can`t remember the exact name) that was nearby. Hm.. I want to go see what it is...

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ooo.

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double oooooo.

A beautiful fountain, large chinese-like styled patios, and ducks, swans... it was something out of a fairy tale. Somewhere the royals could enjoy relaxing by the waterside, watching the waterfowl bask in the afternoon sun. I was very fascinated by this tranquil, French-esque pond so I spent a good time just watching the birds swim around, occasionally honking at each other in annoyance. Wow. If there`s such a thing as reincarnation, I sure hope I was priviledged to be a royal person of some sort.. amazing!

I eventually decided I couldn`t stay forever rooted in that one spot, and bid a silent farewell to the beautiful, tranquil pond. I didn`t walk five steps until...BIRDY! More Pheasants! A male and female were cruising around, and I must be some inner bird watcher, since I took so many dang pictures of them:

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(I`m really proud of this one picture.. somehow it just came out looking great:)

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They, like the two before, weren`t afraid of me: but they did keep their distance, and finally warmed up to me to let me have some excellent shots of the couple. I love pheasants, they are so pretty! And pretty tasty too, or so I here. Hmm....

After hackling the pheasants, I lingered around some more through the gardens, only stopping briefly to sip more water and eat a snack. Ugh. Even in the shade it`s so hot.. but I must continue on!

I begin to hunt for an exit to the gardens, as the afternoon was quickly passing by, and I wanted to see a bit more of the city. But I was immediately distracted with a couple who was walking down the road, and the woman was holding a most gorgeous looking peacock feather. Peacock.. there must be peacocks here! I silently cheered at that.. time to go find peacocks!

Somehow, the task seemed hard, but under a half-an hour of doing some hunting around, I found the beautiful birds. A mother and her babies pecked around the trees, while two bachelors (one maybe the father?) of a beautiful coloration basking in the sun. They, like the pheasants, didn`t run in terror- however, they did keep their distance from me:

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Me and another photographer stalked these birds, both of us conversing in bits of Spanish to point out where the birds were lurking around. They were so pretty.. and I really wanted a feather! I hunted around in the bush where I had seen them lying around, and my efforts didn`t go unrewarded: A beautiful peacock feather lied on the ground, and I picked it up, measuring its size.. perfect. It fit neatly in my backpack, and I now had my souvenir from the gardens. Hurrah!

I had been looking for the exit earlier, and after finding the peacocks, I felt accomplished in touring the gardens. I wanted to walk downtown next, look for the bullfight exhibit I had read about in Let`s Go!.... but a few steps out in the sun changed my mind. Oh was it hot. I all but collapsed down in the shade, trying to pant out my heat akin to an animal. I sipped my water, now warm from the sun, and realized that maybe trying to walk all the way in the sun to the bullring wasn`t going to happen at the moment. But I couldn`t just sit there.....

but I could take the tourist train?

I remembered earlier there had been a small tourist train, (which was really just a car painted like a train, with little seats being pulled behind it) right next to the palace, so that sounded like a fabulously good idea- even though riding on a `tacky tourist train` didn`t have such a good ring to it. I walked the long way back over to the palace, as the sun continued to make my steps longer and longer.. ugh.. so hot.

The train left every half an hour, (I think there`s two trains) so it was 10 minutes until the end of the hour. Just in time! I bought a ticket for the ride, 5 euros a piece, and sat on the side of the shaded Chiquitrain. Finally. Out of the heat, out of the sun! Well, mostly just out of the sun...

The train was packed with tourists, most of them Spanish as well. I sat next to an older pair of women, and in front of me was the other car, with a young family sunglasse`d up. It made me think of my family, and how when I was little, when my parents would take me and my brother on all sorts of vacations. Now I was doing on my own.. it`s a bit strange to consider that!

Our Chiquitren pulled out of the driveway of the palace soon enough, and for the first part, practically drove down the exact roads I had been on that morning! Cripes !On the other hand, it was nice to revisit all of these places, and surprisngly, the little train was permitted to go through the garden! We drove on the main roads, seeing all the fountains I had seen before, and the driver explaining (all the while in Spanish) that several of these trees were from different parts of the world- how neat!

I was still glad I had originally walked through it though- because even though I enjoyed the fast trip through the park, it still didn`t beat getting to stop and smell the flowers.. or chase the peacocks, however you look at it.

The train then pulled out of the gardens, and then took us down to the city- finally, that was what I had been waiting for! We passed down the main road, looking at some old buildings where servants, princes, and guests had made their stay:

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We then passed by the bullring as we made the turn to head back to the main part of the city, and I hastily remembered its location so that I could go visit it after the train tour. The town really wasn`t all that big, so I wasn`t worried about dying of the heat along the way.

The train dropped us off near the bridge into town, as right next to it was another tourist trap in the shape of a boat. I didn`t buy a boat pass, nor had any inclanation to- I wanted to see the bullfight exhibition I had read about! So I waved farewell to the Chiquitren, taking some quick pictures off it before it chugged off:

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But a sign at a nearby outdoor restaurant tempted me too much, and I simply had to sit down an order Frescas con Nata. (Strawberries and cream.) Aranjuez is famous for their strawberries and asparagus, and I definately had to give the strawberries a try.. next visit will be the asparagus:

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yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum.

So I had my Frescas con Nata, and succesfully completed another task I had wanted to accomplish in Aranjuez. Okay now, the bullring....!

I walked along the road we had passed on earlier, and it was a bit more ways than it had felt like on the bus, (or it was just that hot out.) But soon enough I found the large, Roman-esque building, and I made my way around the rim, trying to find the entrance... oh! Here we are!

I entered into the doorway, as a museum attendant came out. The museum was closing in 30 minutes, and from what I understood, they were beginning to close. Well drat. I guess I had just missed out. I shrugged my shoulders, indicating I would leave, but the attendant shook her head, and informed me that it would be okay if I wanted to linger in the museum- as long as afterwards, I`d leave and make sure to shut the door behind me. I beamed at her, excited to see this museum- next Sunday I will be attending a bullfight, so I wanted to really get behind the scenes:

And I really did!

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Dios mio, let me not get gored by a bull today.. (a small church where matadors go to pray before bullfighting)

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http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5017.jpg

pen where they keep the bulls:

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(more on the p-bucket!)

I got to see where the bulls where kept, videos of bullfight, swords of matadors.. you name it, this museum was dedicated to it. Everything you could want to know about a matador.. it was literally incredible to study each individual display, like how they armored the horses of the picador, (The men who lance the back of the bull with a long, pointed pole.) to the elaborate dress to the matador, and the three stages of the fight. I had read about bullfighting in Hemingway`s the Sun Also Rises, so I felt a bit proud I knew about these stages. Bullfights are a bit gorey, and aren`t the picteresque ones painted in the imagination of Americans. (Example: Most Americans don`t know that they kill the bull after the fight- most people assume they let them go.) But to me, it seems like an art form, even if so many of my fellow foreigners don`t agree with me!

The tour of the museum had me pumped up about my soon to be seen bullfight, and I left in high spirits, albeit a bit tired from the day. A took a quick picture of the bullring before I left, so that I`ll still remember what it looks like:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5029.jpg

I cruised in a local store and craved into a dehydrating soda, which tasted delicious, even though it didn`t really quench my thirst. I was starting to feel tired, and the clock was rolling aruond 7:30 PM- I felt I had accomplished everything I had wanted to, and going to the hostel, showering, and sleeping sounded like a fabulous idea. I passed by a servant`s quarters, now a Town Hall, on the way back:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5030-1.jpg

Soon enough, I was back in the hostel, as the sun was only beginning to set. I turned on my television, finding a channel that I liked (it was live feed of a bullfight- hurrah!) and organized my things for Toledo. A shower later, I changed into my new clothes, and watched a bit of the corrida de toros. But I continuously yawned through it, so I shut off the tv, set my alarm, and climbed into bed- after having a picturesque day in a vacation fit for a Queen.

Or maybe, just fit for me.

(Part 1 ends here, and the next update shall be Part 2: The Toledo trip! Stay tuned!)

Until next time!