The gate that people see today was rebuilt. ◎, twice a year in spring and autumn, cars have to take a detour here. This will become the only way for flocks of sheep to move from summer pastures to winter pastures, or from winter pastures to summer pastures. In fact, it has now evolved into a ritual to preserve ancient traditions.

In the southeast corner of Puerta de Alcalá is the beautiful Retiro Park, which is easily reminiscent of royal gardens such as the Summer Palace or Beihai Park. Retiro Park was built by Philip IV in the 17th century. It was originally a park exclusively for the King, Queen and their entourage of Spain. Now the people of Madrid have already turned it into their own territory.

There are beautiful lawns, woods, bright lakes and exquisite marble statues. Madrid people like to sunbathe and drink coffee here. You can go boating in the lake of the park for about 5 euros per hour.

When Yunluo and Yan Chenyu arrived in Madrid, the weather here was like a gust of wind. The sun rose in the east and rained in the west. It was still raining on one street, but it was sunny on the next street. The next three days were just as miserable. Is there the legendary scorching sunshine on the southern European plateau? Fortunately, when Yunluo and Yan Chenyu needed the sunshine the most, they were in the Retiro Park.

The sun was strong enough to drive away the dark clouds, allowing Yunluo and Yan Chenyu to enjoy a short warm afternoon by the lake like the locals. To be honest, I have never been to places like Beihai and the Summer Palace to sit quietly in Beijing.

The Retiro Park is very large, with many hills, woods and sculptures, as well as the Mausoleum of Alfonso XII, the Gypsy Fountain, the Crystal Palace, the Velázquez Palace, one of the few devil statues in the world, and the Wood of the Victims. Neither the physical strength nor the time allowed Yunluo and Yan Chenyu to see them all.

Walk southeast along the Prado Avenue at the entrance of Retiro Park, first pass the Prado Museum, and then arrive at the Reina Sofia National Art Center. Due to time constraints, Yunluo and Yan Chenyu chose to visit the latter, which happened to be Sunday. It is free to visit.

The Reina Sofia National Art Center is one of the largest museums in the world. It was built on the framework of an 18th-century hospital. Works by Picasso and Dali are indispensable, including Picasso's legendary "Guernica", Dali's famous work "The Addict", and some works by Miró.

Visitors who know how to appreciate it can have a look. As for Yunluo, Yunluo can only say that he came here because of its reputation, but left without knowing anything. If he hadn't read the introduction about "Guernica" later, Yunluo really wouldn't know what Picasso wanted to express.

There are many exhibits in the Reina Sofia National Art Center that prohibit photography, especially works like "Guernica" which are heavily guarded. Although there are some "enthusiasts" who take secret photos, Yunluo still abides by the rules and never takes out his camera, so only images of the exterior of the art center and the corridor on the first floor are left.

Sofia, known as the capital of art, is itself a large work of art. It occupies a large area west of King Carlos V Square. The interior is as simple as the exterior, which can better set off the preciousness of the artwork.

The Sofia Art Center has a direct elevator for visitors to take, which is convenient for tourists with poor legs and feet or who are too tired. But the elevator is crowded and you have to queue up. Yunluo and Yan Chenyu basically took the stairs and went up to the top floor of the art center, where they saw this view. To be honest, as a rough person with little culture, the author

I still prefer the scenery up here. When Yunluo and Yan Chenyu were visiting inside, it rained again. Now the air is fresher and intoxicating!

After coming out of the Sofia Art Center, Yunluo and Yan Chenyu finally realized that the Patatocha train station they arrived at in the morning was just east of Sofia. The only disadvantage of taking the subway is that it makes people confused. In the morning, because they went directly from the train station to the subway station, they didn't know the direction of Atocha.

Atocha Railway Station was built in the 19th century. It is a combination of iron and glass. It is well preserved. In 1992, it was transformed into a tropical garden with 500 plants. It is more like a greenhouse with lush trees than a transportation hub. However, the tattered ceiling here still exposes its identity as an old European railway station.

It made people suddenly realize that she actually belonged to another era. Since Yunluo and Yan Chenyu were going to fly back to Beijing when they left Madrid, and they also chose to take buses to Toledo and Segovia in the next two days, this was the only and last time that Yunluo and Yan Chenyu saw the Atocha train station from the outside.

I walked from Paseo del Prado back to Plaza de Cibeles, and then along Granvia to Puerta del Sol. At this time, it started to rain for the nth time.

Puerta del Sol is located in the center of Madrid. It is the zero kilometer starting point of Madrid and the entire Spanish highway. In Rome, it is said that "all roads lead to Rome." In Spain, it is said that "all roads lead to Puerta del Sol." When the New Year comes, all the citizens of Madrid will flock here to celebrate the New Year.

It is hard to imagine that this small town 50 kilometers away from Madrid was once the capital of Spain. Toledo is a place that every tourist who comes to Spain must not miss. It is very small and may not even be called a city, but there, history is piled up layer by layer, and Christianity, Islam and Judaism coexist here.

In the ancient city, Mudejar buildings that combine Roman and Arab styles can still be seen, interspersed among Gothic churches, Visigothic houses, synagogues, and Renaissance mansions.

Because of this unique urban appearance, this inclusive ancient city has been listed as a world historical and cultural heritage. The ancient city of Toledo is certainly not to be missed, but what is even more unmissable is to climb up the hillside outside the city and take a good look at the panoramic view of the entire Toledo.

From Madrid to Toledo, I personally think that the bus is more convenient than the train. The train station in Toledo is far from the ancient city. Take the Metro Line 6 in Madrid and get off at Plazaeliptica Station.

After getting off the bus, follow the signs for terminal auto buses to find the bus station. After exiting the subway station, pay attention to the purple arrow sign on the pillar on the same floor. There is a sign that says taquillamadrid-toledoenelnivel-3. Follow the arrow to find the ticket window of alsa (name of the bus company).

I have to admire the perfect design of the Madrid bus station and subway transfer, which makes it easy for tourists who have just arrived in Madrid to find the station.

There are many buses from Madrid to Toledo, and the journey takes 1 hour. The bus stop is not far from the city, and you can see the ancient city on the mountain when you get off the bus.

Keep climbing and climbing, and you will see the famous gate of Toledo - Puerta de Bisagra. It is the main entrance to the old city of Toledo. It consists of two main parts and a huge imperial emblem. There is also a courtyard. This majestic gate was originally built by Arabs and rebuilt during the reign of Carlos I.

Compared to the history of Toledo, this city gate is not very old. It was rebuilt in the 16th century. However, the city wall adopts the form of Arabic city wall. From the name, we can see that this city gate should have existed during the Moorish rule. It's just that the shape has changed a long time ago. It has become a new product after the 16th century.

Entering the ancient city, everything is ancient. 400 years ago, the painter Al Greco painted "Landscape and Planning of Toledo". 400 years later, the Toledo seen by Yun Luo and Yan Chenyu is exactly the same as it was then, which makes people sigh. Toledo's legal provisions.

All new buildings must be built in the style of buildings from the 11th to the 14th century. Walking on the streets of Toledo, it is really impossible to tell which is new and which is old.

Continue climbing. You can see the Sun Gate, which was built in the 13th century. It suddenly appears here and seems a bit abrupt. The Sun Gate has a typical Arabic style, tall, magnificent and upright. There are two theories about why it is called the Sun Gate: one is that there are patterns of the sun and the moon on the gate.

The second is that according to the astrological measurements made during the reign of Alfonso X, this gate is located on the zero meridian. From sunrise to sunset, sunlight always shines on this gate.

Yunluo and Yan Chenyu chose to stay in Toledo for one night. Fortunately, the hotel in Madrid agreed to store their luggage, so they only brought simple luggage for one night to Toledo.

When I returned to Madrid from Toledo, I stayed in the same hotel as yesterday. This way, I could travel light to this small town on the mountain, stay overnight, and not have to spend time looking for a new hotel when I returned to Madrid. Kill three birds with one stone~

The hotel is easy to find. It is next to the Sudekber Square, which is the busiest square in Toledo. Yunluo and Yan Chenyu didn't expect to stay in such a good location for 60 euros a night. The hotel conditions are also quite good and the price-performance ratio is very high. It is highly recommended. There is a panoramic view of Toledo hanging at the front desk of the hotel. The first glance made Yunluo more determined to go outside the city to take a look.

The weather in Toledo is the same as that in Madrid. When we entered the hotel, the sun was shining brightly outside. Yunluo and Yan Chenyu were still feeling lucky that they finally escaped the "baby face" of Madrid today. But when they put down their luggage and came out again, the Sudekber Square was already like this. Well, considering that Toledo is a mountain city, we just go with the flow.

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

There was no big supermarket in Toledo, so I asked the front desk, who pointed Yunluo and Yan Chenyu to a Chinese supermarket one street away from the hotel. The price of water was quite reasonable, 0.3 euros for 1.5 liters. There were also freshly baked baguettes, which were super fragrant. In the evening, Yunluo and Yan Chenyu came here to buy two, 0.5 euros for one, 0.75 euros for two, and 0.9 euros for three.

Many locals come here to buy a lot of water. While buying water, Yan Chenyu talked to the supermarket owner about Chinese restaurants. The owner introduced her to a Chinese restaurant next to the square. It was a buffet, 9.95 euros per person, similar to Haolongge, with fried rice, various stir-fried vegetables, shrimps, chicken wings, and finally Yan Chenyu had a good meal.

When I walked out of the restaurant, I seemed to have gained weight. Haha, is the charm of Chinese food really that great?

Yunluo, who had always refused to eat Chinese food abroad, naturally parted ways with Yan Chenyu and randomly chose a restaurant around the square to have lunch. However, it seemed that none of them made the right choice as Yan Chenyu did. Yan Chenyu ordered barbecue and French fries, while Yunluo ordered his favorite spaghetti bolognese. Neither of them was very successful, and the portions were small.

Finally, I went to the McDonald's next door and bought a cheeseburger for 1 Euro. The cheeseburgers in Spain for 1 Euro are really good, cheap and filling. Usually, two are enough. They are cheaper than kebabs, but I can't bear to eat them all the time. Since I came back, Yunluo has never eaten McDonald's.

To conclude, Yan Chenyu had a more successful meal than Yunluo and Yan Chenyu. I suggest that everyone try the Chinese buffet. It is very easy to find, next to Sudekbel Square. You can find it by asking. It is very close to the Chinese supermarket.

When you come to Toledo, the cathedral is not the most important thing, and the Alcázar Castle is not the most important thing. The most important thing is to go around the hillside outside the city to see the panoramic view of Toledo.

In order to prepare for Yunluo's most important journey, Yan Chenyu began to study how to get around to the mountains outside the city.

It is possible to walk from the ancient city to the hillside outside the city, but to be on the safe side, Yunluo and Yan Chenyu decided to take the bus and walk back. Almost all bus terminals are next to the Alcazar Castle.

The bus No. 71 that Yunluo and Yan Chenyu were going to take to go out of the city and up the mountain was also here. The interval was quite long, about every 45 minutes. When we arrived at the station, only one bus had left, so we could only stroll around the Alcazar Castle.

The Al Lazare Castle was once the residence of the emperors, and its annexes house a military museum and the regional library. The castle is built on the highest hill in the city, and all the heavily fortified fortresses since ancient Roman times have been built in this area.

The castle you see today was rebuilt based on the one designed by Covarrubias and Herrera for King Carlos V, which was completely destroyed in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War after several fires. The

The bus No. 71 that Yunluo and Yan Chenyu were going to take happened to stop next to the outer wall of the castle. They asked the driver if they could reach the hillside outside the city. The driver gave a positive answer and told Yunluo and Yan Chenyu where to get on the bus. Although the roads in the ancient city of Toledo are narrow, the buses are not inferior at all, they are all big ones!

The Toledo in front of us is an isolated city on the top of a mountain surrounded by the Horta River. Rather than saying that it was the capital of the former Spain, it is better to say that it is a natural military fortress. This geographical situation should be the reason why Toledo was chosen as the capital by the Visigoths in that war-torn era. (To be continued...)