I’m A Prisoner

The summer is in full swing. It is gorgeous outside … and our little girl is sick. I’m hoping it is just a cold and not an ear infection or strep throat. As most parents know, little ones don’t always tell you what is bothering them. She is very sad and a sad sight to see. I am able to steal a few moments to myself and since I cannot (okay, will not) leave the house. I leave you with a Travel Throwback Thursday Sunday.

Everyone travels differently. Some people like to get a taste of a place seeing many places on one trip. We like to really take some time an explore. We enjoy going to museums, but there is not a better museum than the place itself — the architecture, the people, the cuisine. On this particular trip, we toured Madrid, Toledo and Seville. We took two weeks to do it and have plenty left to see still. We’ll of course be back — one day and finish continue what we started.

We saw an evening Flamenco performance in an old mansion in Seville. Traditional houses there are built much like a moroccan Riad where they focus around a central courtyard that often has a water feature. The rest of the world falls away as you step into these old houses. The performance was held in one such courtyard and the dance, the music, the costumes spoke volumes about the Spanish people and their passions.

Shortly after sightseeing in Seville and marveling at its glorious architecture, we moved on to Toledo. There is something tranquil and melancholy about Toledo. It was back in the day, the capital of Spain and housed a very large Jewish population. After the Inquisition, the houses and synagogues that once celebrated life and joy stood as empty reminders of those who are gone. One particular building, originally named the Ibn Shushan Synagogue and later renamed to Santa Maria La Blanca, stood out. The ornate detail showcased the richness of the Sephardic tradition and its columns punctuated the emptiness. The synagogue was empty when we visited and frisson of melancholy passed over me.

Having seen the remnants of a once-thriving capital, we moved on to the new and thriving capital. This night, Madrid was washed over with an unusually large moon lighting the sky a cobalt blue. Glorious, loud, exciting and very now.