x-no-archive: yes

This was in February, I think, or maybe March (luckily no snow).

* Alcalá de Henares

Miguel de Cervantes (author of Don Quixote) was born here. I found this
graffitti in a wall right in front of his natal house (the house itself
was unremarkable). Apparently some anonymous artist(s) draw a different
one every year motu propio, but as 2005 marks the fourth centenary,
they've put more care to it than usual. I found it intriguing, so I took
some shots of it:

x-no-archive: yes

This was in February, I think, or maybe March (luckily no snow).

* Alcalá de Henares

Miguel de Cervantes (author of Don Quixote) was born here. I found this
graffitti in a wall right in front of his natal house (the house itself
was unremarkable). Apparently some anonymous artist(s) draw a different
one every year motu propio, but as 2005 marks the fourth centenary,
they've put more care to it than usual. I found it intriguing, so I took
some shots of it:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Henares/imgp1592.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Henares/imgp1593.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Henares/imgp1594.jpg

(Quixote is reading here Erasmus' "Praise of Folly"; on the floor lie
Orwell's "1984" and PKD's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", as
well as an issue of "El Vívora", titled "The End?". That is an adult
oriented magazine/comic book, pretty underground, and usually pretty
corrosive. Notice also the reference to Halliburton).

This city has two parts: one centered around the old (1400's)
university, and the other is a mid- and working-class town where
most people commute to Madrid to work (many victims of 11-M lived
here). I found it... nice. Friendly. I liked it.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Henares/imgp1598.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Henares/imgp1599.jpg
(A much better view of this square can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Alcala_de_Henares%2C_Spain%2C_Plaza_de_Cervantes.jpg)

This is the university:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Henares/imgp1600.jpg

The next one you can skip. It doesn't look like it in the pic, but it
was actually raining. As I walked down an empty street, I noticed out
of the corner of my eye what looked like someone in a balcony, reading
under the rain, so I turned my head. Of course, no such thing, but I
found the sculpture funny so I shot it.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Henares/imgp1613.jpg



* Toledo

Toledo steel was famous in its day. Still today this city specialises
in traditional sword-making (for example all US military sabres).
So, how does a sword-smith make a living in this day and age? Simple:
by selling them to tourists, and to film producers. On return they
get the right to use trade-mark names from those films (like the
LOTR series). Apparently, it works for them.

The town is beautiful, though. It must be one of Europe's best preserved
ones. And the cathedral is breathtaking, especially the inside. It
houses the El Greco museum, which is impressive. No cameras were allowed
inside, though :(

You feel transported to a different era here:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Toledo/imgp1638.jpg

One of the many touristy shops. Look in the centre for the little guy
in armour, holding a sword over his head. Yeah, that's me reflected on
the glass.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Toledo/imgp1639.jpg

This is in front of the cathedral.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Toledo/imgp1640.jpg

Same place, different angle:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Toledo/imgp1641.jpg

The cathedral's facade. The pic doesn't make it justice, but the real
beauty is inside.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Toledo/imgp1642.jpg

This shop is somewhat famous. The light was bad, so I had to edit the
pic. I'm not even sure the flash worked (the battery was low).

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Toledo/imgp1643.jpg

The cobblestone streets are picturesque, but noisy. Every sound echoes
up and down the streets. I suppose the locals must be used to it.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Toledo/imgp1644.jpg

This town was Spain's capital before Madrid. There's an overall feeling
of past grandeur to it, but it doesn't quite feel decadent (yet).

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Toledo/imgp1647.jpg

The town's main square. Nothing really remarkable, but I liked it.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Toledo/imgp1648.jpg

This fashion-challenged... gentleman, kept giving me a sustained, most
unfriendly stare, but didn't approach me. I ignored him; the last
thing I wanted was getting in a fight with a local redneck - especially
a deranged-looking one.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Toledo/imgp1649.jpg

Same square. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is a MacDonald's.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Toledo/imgp1650.jpg

This is the outskits of Toledo. Gives you an impression of what the
plains of central Spain tend to look like:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/oudeiseimi/Toledo/imgp1653.jpg

And that's all.