Sunday August 21 Part 2 of the Pilgrimage
8:30 pm Inside the Walls of Toledo
After the vigil and concluding mass with Pope Benedict, we returned to Everest for a refreshing cold shower and to pack our bags. Off to Toledo, the former capital of Spain and one of the oldest cities in Spain! The bus took us through the winding roads of the Spanish country side. The rolling hills, dry ground speckled with shrubs, the vineyards, and the olive groves are slightly reminiscent of something you might find at the foothills of the Sierras. Then came the walls of the medieval city where we would be staying for the next three days. We gazed out the windows in awe and admiration. There’s something about the rich and ancient architecture and history that seems to fascinate those of us from “The New World.”
The bus came to a stop on one of the main roads of Toledo, which seemed more like an alley according to the standards of modern American cities. The bus was too large to navigate the narrow streets. We would have to walk the rest of the way. Once we unloaded all our suitcases and began our ascent towards our destination. 
Drip. Drip. A few drops of rain. We hoped we weren’t in for an early shower. More rain. We were in for it. We walked quickly up two flights of escalators and then down a narrow street which tapered into an even narrower street. The shopkeepers all came out to see what the commotion was. I’m sure they were surprised to see 50 American girls rolling suitcases, which sounded like thunder as we traipsed through the rough cobblestone streets. A sympathetic woman gave one of us an umbrella and invited us to come back tomorrow for a treat.
We came to a stop under an arch. Are we lost? At least we were 
out of the rain. We had gone the wrong way. Our caravan turned around back to the streets we had just trudged through minutes ago. We must have been quite the spectacle with our luggage in the rain. Finally, we arrived to a small cobblestone courtyard and entered what seemed to be a convent. A man welcomed us to the convent of the discalced Carmelites. As soon as we entered, you could hear ooos and ahhhs. The old convent looked like something I had seen in a traveling magazine on the plane. The beautiful stone walls and the wide arches made us feel like we were in a castle.
After making a visit to Jesus in the small chapel near the entrance, we proceeded to our rooms. In the center of the lodging area of the convent, there is a central courtyard which is open on all four sides to the three levels. The first floor is where the dining room is, the second is where the entrance and chapel are located, and the third is where most of the rooms are. I share a room with my friend, Olivia. It has two beds, two desks and chairs, a wardrobe, and a bathroom (all a luxury after this past week). We opened the windows and discovered that we could see out to the windows of the other rooms which all looked down to the inner courtyard and up to the sky.
The dinner bell rang and we reluctantly abandoned the sight. We gathered in the dining room around four long tables. The first course consisted of a dish of green beans, tuna fish, and tomatoes (with bread of course). The second dish was a type of hamburger patty with potato chips. Of all this, most of us were excited about the fresh fruit on the table. Some of us probably had about 3 pieces of fruit in that one sitting. In the past few days during WYD we hadn’t had much fruit. It was refreshing to sit down and eat peacefully without waiting in a long line of pilgrims. Now for bed. Yes, a bed. I’m ready for a good night’s rest of 9 hours of sleep! Until tomorrow!
