Friday, April 22, 2010 | Toledo

LAST NIGHT I went to bed without dinner. I wasn’t that hungry and I didn’t want to go out in the rain, so I stayed in my room to read and write my last blog post. The TV in my room would not work and I didn’t feel like listening to my iPod music, so I spent the evening in blessed silence, enjoying half of the bottle of cheap red wine I’d bought at a nearby store.
This morning I woke up hungry. All I’d had the day before was a modest lunch, a muffin and a pastry, but the hotel restaurant wasn’t open for breakfast until 8, so I took a short walk to capture some more images of this beautiful city with my camera. When I stepped outside I found nearly clear skies and cool crisp air. And quiet. The tourists were still in bed, apparently.
When I returned to the hotel, breakfast was already being served so I hurried down there, expecting to find the kind of buffet breakfasts found in most cheap tourist hotels in Paris or Italy. What I found instead was a pleasant and delicious gastronomic surprise. Nothing fancy, mind you, but a good, full breakfast. It had the cold hams and cheeses I expected, but it also had oh-so-creamy scrambled eggs, bacon and several kinds of sausages. And about four different kind of rolls as well as pastries and cookies of various varieties. And nice strong coffee. Oh my, breakfast never tasted so good. I stuffed myself and took some bread and cheese and pastries with me, to snack on during the day.
With stomach full, I was ready to explore Toledo once more, hoping that the rains would stay away. I had about an hour of roaming the mostly empty streets befor the tourists started streaming out of wherever they’d been hiding. And even though I was trying to get somewhere else, I ended up at the cathedral again. I went inside to discover a men’s chorus singing, as part of some Good Friday ceremony. Not quite Gregorian chants, but just as soothing. A great way to start the day.