Weekend Day Trips from Madrid

This weekend we took the bus up to Madrid and did day trips to Toledo, Segovia, and El Escorial. Yesterday we went to Toledo, it was a quick 45 minute bus ride from Madrid. It was beautiful of course. The town was basically a little circle on the top of a hill with a stream running at the base of the hill. It was so funny because we took a tourist train around the city, it was the cheesiest looking little antique train that "typical tourists" take, snapping every picture they can regardless if its a good shot or not. So, I guess we were "typical tourists" for the day. It was well worth it though, the train took us to parts of the city with spectacular views that we would not have known to go to or how to get there. Toledo was just this fortress city where you could only get into the city by crossing a bridge and climbing up the hill into the heart of town. Toledo is known for mazapan with many different varieties with your choice of nuts, fruits, sugar, or plain. After seeing all of the sights we wanted to see we just wandered around the city. We ended up walking around the outer edge on a pathway that overlooked the stream at the bottom of the hill. It was so nice just taking our time and venturing out of the "typical tourist" areas. As we were walking around and talking I realized that I forget that I'm in Spain and that I have the ability to travel all throughout Europe. The thought that I'm actually living in Spain. I get so wrapped up into my routine and schedule and forget to appreciate the small things like walking to school everyday passing so much history or looking out the window on the bus rides to really absorb how beautiful the countryside is. But sometimes the realization smacks me in the face every once in a while but I think the most profound and ultimate smack in the face will come when I return home to all the familiar places and faces and think...I just lived in Spain for 5 months...WOW!