Corpus Christi afternoon in Toledo

In the beginning of June we organized a quite spontaneous trip to Toledo. As it was Corpus Christi, the whole city was decorated for processions and there was also a contest of the inner gardens (patios) that are usually not open for the public, but that week they were, so we could visit them. We were quite a big group of people in the end (over 20) moving quite slowly, so we didn't get to see all the gardens, we saw around 12-15. They were very interesting and all quite different.

After the visit we had a guided tour about the legends of Toledo, which was really cool. The guide was very interesting and entertaining, which helped a lot to focus, because we were already quite dead from all the walking before (not to mention it was a very hot day). :P

Here are some pictures of the trip:

Some very green gardens 

And a very artistic one with a blue horse :))

Decorations

A part of our group in the first garden we entered

My favorite garden: the flowers are recycled: made of the paper bags of bread

One of the decorated streets: with flowers and shades against the heat  

Our cool guide explaining the (legendary) history of the expression "menuda noche toledana" to our half-dead group :))

With our friend Charo, who participates in every single activity we organize :))

Segovia and the cable car in Madrid

Last weekend I finally got to visit Segovia. It has been on my list for a while, so when my best friend decided to visit me again, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to go. :)

The first (and only) shock we had was when we arrived to the train station: it's literally in the middle of nowhere. :) Of course there are buses that took us from there to the center in 15 mins, but I found it very funny that next to the train tracks there are cows peacefully enjoying the day.

The view when getting out from the station: place for taxis, some cars and then fields everywhere with cows

Train tracks to infinity and beyond :)

Me contemplating the questions of life and the future with my coffee while staring at the infinite tracks :)

The town itself however is beautiful: it's quite small, so we could walk around the historical centre in a few hours and it's on a hill (a bit like Toledo), so there are quite some nice places to enjoy the amazing view. We didn't enter the cathedral or any museums as the weather was too nice to be inside (and we were on low budget), but we went to see the Alcázar. It looked very different from the ones I have seen in the South so far: this was more like an enchanted castle (or fort) and in the inside it definitely looks more Roman, with some Arabic influence and knights. :)

The famous Roman aqueduct and the statue of Romulus and Remus

The amazing view from the top of the aqueduct

Plaza Mayor and the Cathedral

Poppies :)

The Alcázar that looks more like a Disney castle :)

Inside the Alcázar: a nice mixture of Roman and Arabic influences 

Our reward from the tower after climbing almost 200 stairs

My favorite statue on the way to the station: a shepherd with a dog and sheep :)

On Sunday we originally planned to go the El Escorial, but we were too tired, so in the end we ended up in Madrid and went to Casa de Campo with the cable car. 

On the way

A very tourist-y thing they do at the cable car: they take some photos that you can buy at the other end when you arrive. Since we've never bought any kind of stuff like this before, now it was time. :)

By accident we found a very nice rose garden nearby the station (at the Parque Oeste side), where they have a competition of new roses every May, so there is a huge selection of all kinds of roses from all over the world. I checked and it is so popular, that rose-enthusiasts can already sign up for the competition of 2017.

March activities

Finally spring has arrived! :) And our activities continue as usual. :) 

We had an English event again together with the reading club in the library on Friday 13th which was not as successful as the previous one, yet we had a lot of fun. We talked about superstitions from all over the world and then went to the teahouse together for a drink. :)

Our small but enthusiastic group :)

We also keep doing the English games for kids, though it is also getting challenging - in the first week we had again a nice big group, so we played a "human-sized board game" about favorites and a memory game, but then when we prepared a quiz only 3 kids came... so it's a bit unpredictable. Though last time we had again the whole group so we could play the quiz in the end. :)

Of course we had the usual 2 intercultural chats, the first about famous people (that somehow went into the direction of politics as well at one point :P) and the second about Easter - as it is a big celebration here and quite different from other countries. As usual we had some food too, for the first chat Dilya brought some nice Russian goodies and for the second we prepared some Easter-food from our countries. :)

I made some kaszinótojás ("casino-eggs") and potato salad (and I couldn't miss out piros arany - it's pepper cream, very Hungarian :))

Super delicious sweet potato soufflé by Amber :)

As for non-work activities I had a quite active month too: the first weekend of March was almost like summer, so I spent most of it outside. That Sunday I got invited to a brunch and got to know some new people, it was a lot of fun. :)

11 people from 10 different countries :)

The 11th was a local holiday here in Illescas - as I was sick that week I didn't really participate at any activities, but I went to a concert where a violinist with Armenian origin played together with  Spanish guitarist. Everybody was excited about them so I was curious too - and yes, they were amazing, I'm glad I had the chance to go and see them.

The weekend after I went to a free workshop of natural cosmetics here in Illescas, which was interesting and useful. We made a soap, a body lotion, a hand cream and a lip balm. They were all surprisingly easy to make and we got the recipes too, so from now on I can make my own things. :)

The week after we arranged a trip from Ecocompartimos to Carranque to finally see the Archeological Park and have a guided tour about the Roman ruins and mosaics there. It was very nice, the group we "recruited" and the sights as well. :)

Ruins of a temple

Ruins of a room where we could observe the heating system they had back then

Amazing mosaics made of very small pieces

Speaking of mosaics: I'm done with my second "masterpiece" and now I'm working on a Picasso picture... I think this one will take a lifetime to finish haha, it's quite big and with challenging shapes... but let's see. ;)

My newest piece of art :)