
<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-30-state-of-the-offspring-address-april-2014/13599091393_566dde59bc_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Geek in Training">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-30-state-of-the-offspring-address-april-2014/13599091393_924fbaa3d9_t.jpg" alt="Geek in Training"/>
</a>

I've only spent half of April with my beloved offspring because they have been on spring vacation with their Spanish grandparents down in Extremadura for two weeks. We do talk to Nora every day on the phone, and her ability to switch languages is even more highlighted, I feel, than when we're in the same room and she turns to address a different language speaker. She tells us about her adventures, where they went that day, etc.  <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-30-state-of-the-offspring-address-april-2014/13723499415_87ffcd458c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hello Kitty Nora">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-30-state-of-the-offspring-address-april-2014/13723499415_c24393ffa7_n.jpg" alt="Hello Kitty Nora"/>
</a>

The one thing that made me really glad that Nora is down there was when my wife told me that, during the two days she was down there, too, Nora really enjoyed going out into the fields to participate in the southern Spanish pastime of picking wild asparagus. She told me that Nora was running, nay, _frolicking_ in long grass up to her chest. _Those_ are the kinds of experiences that a life well lived should be full of.

Another exciting milestone was how Nora walked with her grandfather to the store, around the block (no streets to cross), and then, while he was still at the store, walked by herself back home and back to the store a half dozen times. She's really capable of that sort of independence, and we're happy to encourage her. She's very proud of herself for those things. It's pretty terrifying as a parent to decide when your child is capable of crossing a street by herself, as the consequences of a careless wrong move can be so grave, but we think that Nora is almost ready, especially in our small town.

You know how, in cartoon physics, when a character runs off a cliff, but doesn't realize he's done so until he looks down, and only then does he fall? That's about where Ian is with walking. He is completely capable of taking five or six steps by himself without falling over, but he only does it when he forgets that he "needs" someone to help him. When you bend over to help him walk, he refuses to hold two hands, since he wants one free to interact with the world, but he really doesn't want to let go of the last hand. I haven't seen him in a fortnight, so I'm really looking forward to seeing his ambulatory progress.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-30-state-of-the-offspring-address-april-2014/13951326964_1e1f729e5b_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Croqueta Eating">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-30-state-of-the-offspring-address-april-2014/13951326964_66e7598e23.jpg" alt="Croqueta Eating"/>
</a>

Ian has also started to get some upper incisors, but I don't really know the extent of his dental growth, so you'll have to stay tuned for that in May. He is getting a bit tired of pureed vegetables and his milk bottle, though.

That's really about all I've got for this month, since we've been out of contact so much. Here are some photos and videos I took earlier in the month.

<iframe width="505" height="284" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/YPKHlC69NEY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Walking is hard! They look like a pair of drunk friends on their way home from the pub late at night. Ian was okay, by the way.

<iframe width="505" height="284" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/XlS8MwIeA7I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Bumper cars. Nora often uses a sort of mispronounced Spanish with her brother. She does the same thing in English, sort of a "baby-fication" of the proper words.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-30-state-of-the-offspring-address-april-2014/13831657703_15c8a27bf0_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Annoying Little Brothers">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-30-state-of-the-offspring-address-april-2014/13831657703_34f2393e8a.jpg" alt="Annoying Little Brothers"/>
</a>

Ian is "helping" Nora make bracelets out of little rubber bands, a huge current fad among her generation.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-30-state-of-the-offspring-address-april-2014/13831676443_dfffd1f4cf_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Annoying Little Brothers">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-30-state-of-the-offspring-address-april-2014/13831676443_b42d85afc8.jpg" alt="Annoying Little Brothers"/>
</a>

They do look related.

<iframe width="505" height="284" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zklMrSOS8ew" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Dropping things is _hilarious_!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-30-state-of-the-offspring-address-april-2014/13951359624_8c63a1f91e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Playground Friends">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-30-state-of-the-offspring-address-april-2014/13951359624_66b375e222.jpg" alt="Playground Friends"/>
</a>

Nora and Ian with Claudia and Mara, both just a month apart in age.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-30-state-of-the-offspring-address-april-2014/13599064405_77fbdbb804_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="I support my parents' political beliefs">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-30-state-of-the-offspring-address-april-2014/13599064405_d280659e3a.jpg" alt="I support my parents' political beliefs"/>
</a>

Ian supports his parents' political beliefs. [Nora did, too](/2009/11/11/comical-t-shirts/).

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-30-state-of-the-offspring-address-april-2014/13599091393_566dde59bc_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Geek in Training">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-30-state-of-the-offspring-address-april-2014/13599091393_924fbaa3d9.jpg" alt="Geek in Training"/>
</a>

The state of the offspring is strong!


State of the Offspring Address - April 2014


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14043481381_692ef0b7f4_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14043481381_4c365fda4d_t.jpg" alt="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa"/>
</a>

Seven long years ago, I [participated in this event](/2007/04/15/beach-golf/) and won a trophy. In the years since I have been unable to attend either with travel or childrearing conflicts, but this year, with the kids at their _abuelos'_, I was able to participate again. There was a constant drizzle throughout the whole event; one of the organizers said that it was the second worst weather they've had over the fourteen years, which is pretty amazing considering the Cantabrian spring. Like Easter, the lunar cycle plays a big role in determining the date of the tournament every year, as it has to be in the early morning, finishing before 11am, before many beach goers flock to the beach, and it has to be at low tide.  [![](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14020114581_fb81de56a9_z.jpg)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/51762375@N02/14020114581/)

The week before the tournament, Pedro, my friend and the tournament organizer, posted [a video](http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:10737936) on Facebook of some stunt they did at ESPN with a pro golfer putting on glass. When a golf green is really fast (low friction so the ball rolls very far before stopping), we use the simile, "It's like putting on glass." So it was interesting to actually see someone putting on actual glass. I made the casual comment on his video, "I wonder how this compares to the beach at Laredo!"

I never expected anything to come from my comment, but the following day, Pedro posted a video where he had actually measured the speed of a the beach. The way that dimension of green speed is measured is with a special apparatus called a [stimpmeter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stimpmeter). It's an inclined plane that you raise to a certain angle, controlled by the point that a golf ball gains enough potential energy to roll over a ridge, and then it rolls on the green some distance, and you measure how far it rolled – in feet, because it was invented by Americans. The greens at Augusta National, where they play The Masters, are widely known to have some of the slickest greens in golf, and they usually measure 12 - 13 on the stimpmeter (that's feet that the ball rolled off the inclined plane, so bigger numbers are faster). Pedro's measurement for the beach was 13.6. If you're still curious, check out [How to use a stimpmeter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlULpKsewnE).

One of the things that most amazes me about beach golf is just how similar the experience of putting is to that of putting on real grass. I think that, due to the rain, they weren't rolling at 13.6, but they were still pretty quick. Obviously you always know that the ball will break (curve) towards the sea, but there were some tricky breaks left or right when putting directly towards the sea. Luckily, my ball only plugged once on one of the really short holes where my wedge went really high. Then I actually had to use my sand trap knowledge of what to do with a plugged ball in the sand. The rest of the time it was a matter of using putting strokes.

### Beach Golf Rules

1. Play the ball as it lies. You can't touch the ball during any part of the hole.
2. You may only use your putter in the zone marked as the green. Outside that zone the putter cannot be used.
3. The flag must be left in the hole at all times, whether you are on or off the green.
4. You can smooth out the path to the hole as long as you are on the green. If you are off the green, you can't remove any objects from your path.
5. Golf shoes are prohibited. Sports sneakers with smooth soles are recommended.

Oops, my foursome allowed ourselves to mark and clean our balls on the green, which even the strictest "grass golf" rules allow. But we did have to shout at another foursome to leave the flag in the hole. That rule is there because if the sand is moist – and it definitely was on Saturday – it's very possible that the act of pulling out the flag can remove the entire hole, which pretty much ruins that hole for everybody behind you. There was a big difference in putting debris from the first hole to the later holes that we played, just from all the footprints. Some of my putts were pretty wobbly.

Now, for some photos...

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14023526146_8010165bd1_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14023526146_e1a3e2727d.jpg" alt="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa"/>
</a>

Each tee box was a matt to hit off of with an arrow specifying which hole to aim for. Another aspect of beach golf is that the holes all look much further away than they really are due to a lack of depth perception clues, similar to how the moon looks further away when it's high in the sky compared to low on the horizon.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14046666355_d0bceb383e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14046666355_aa0970b3e5.jpg" alt="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa"/>
</a>

Two of the golfers in my foursome were better golfers than me.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14043476041_ba850270ba_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14043476041_0bae2867af.jpg" alt="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa"/>
</a>

This is Michel, who won the whole event.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14066685333_9f754bbbb8_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14066685333_01081268cd.jpg" alt="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa"/>
</a>

The view from the first tee was spectacular. It was way up high on the highest dune on the beach, hitting down over a little creek that feeds into the sea, bisecting the beach.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14023532606_715f1bc27f_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14023532606_0fc4ddccf6.jpg" alt="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa"/>
</a>

The holes varied in length from 80 meters to 160 meters. I had printed out a little spreadsheet conversion table, because I can only think in yards on the golf course. That's 87 to 175 yards. All par threes, of course.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14043473082_46f1e7ea69_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14043473082_3072070f0c.jpg" alt="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa"/>
</a>

Whoever came out at 6am that morning to measure the holes and draw the greens had a sense of humor.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14043481381_692ef0b7f4_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14043481381_4c365fda4d.jpg" alt="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa"/>
</a>

The beach is really nice and flat.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14066692813_953b8d83d7_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-28-the-14th-annual-laredo-beach-golf-tournament/14066692813_d368488bb2_z.jpg" alt="Beach Golf Laredo - Golf Playa"/>
</a>

This was my drive on the last hole my foursome played (we started on #5 and there were nine holes in total). I sunk the birdie to register a score of four over par, which was -1 with my 5 handicap. I'm not sure how they determined handicaps. This was the only flag that succumbed to the wind.

The following day, I got a call from Pedro saying that I had tied for first in the "scratch" (no handicap) competition, and that I was fourth in the "under 18 handicap" flight, but due to some technicality, I was due to receive a third place trophy and a coupon for a free round of golf at a nearby course. Yay!

Playing golf on flat hard sand is very interesting. It's an amazingly close facsimile to real grass, and it's an interesting genre of "novelty golf" that manages to capture most of the challenge and dopamine thrill of real golf. I hope I can play in this tournament more often.


The 14th Annual Laredo Beach Golf Tournament


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-26-dougalls-local-cantabrian-beer/14031352443_2164f15262_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="DouGall's Beers: Think Globally, Drink Locally">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-26-dougalls-local-cantabrian-beer/14031352443_bb28e94485_t.jpg" alt="DouGall's Beers: Think Globally, Drink Locally"/>
</a>

I discovered this brewery two years ago, and I've been keeping an eye out for it, but it wasn't until yesterday that I noticed it in the local _Lupa_ supermarket chain. Some googling tells me that the brewery was started by an Englishman, named Andrew Dougall, around eight years go. The brewery is based out of a little town called Liérganes, only about a half hour away from me.  Unfortunately, [Dougall's website](http://dougalls.es) is "fermenting" at the moment, but they seem pretty active on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/CervezaDougalls) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/CervezaDougalls). Hmm... I'm a web programmer... Perhaps I need to work out some sort of "goods for services" arrangement with these people...

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-26-dougalls-local-cantabrian-beer/13988225636_308c4765e8_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="DouGall's Beers">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-26-dougalls-local-cantabrian-beer/13988225636_b786d4eeb1_c.jpg" alt="DouGall's Beers"/>
</a>

Both of the bottles I purchased today were as delicious as they are gorgeous. I'm not much of a snooty connoisseur, so I shan't go on about the mouthfeel. I was most of the way through the _Nueve Cuatro Dos_ when I read the name aloud and it immediately became clear why it's called that. _That's the telephone area code for Cantabria!_ I'm not sure what _Ra Que Ra_ means...perhaps after a few more bottles...

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-26-dougalls-local-cantabrian-beer/14008142312_b52c367b91_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="DouGall's Beers: Think Globally, Drink Locally">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-26-dougalls-local-cantabrian-beer/14008142312_9ec460bc80.jpg" alt="DouGall's Beers: Think Globally, Drink Locally"/>
</a>

The bottle cap reads, "Think globally, drink locally." Alright, I think I will!

Cheers, Andrew. Keep it up!


Dougall's – Local Cantabrian Beer


![](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-25-ians-first-birthday/8681666758_7919b19bee_t.jpg) Exactly one year ago this morning, I met and immediately fell in love with my little man, Ian. I remember that all I could say through my tears that morning was how _perfect_ he was. It has been really fun to watch him grow from such a helpless bundle of need to a little boy who can walk several steps independently in only the time it takes the Earth to go around the sun.  My household is a bit melancholy today, however, since my wife and I are unable to spend his first birthday with Ian. Due to the confluence of the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox (Easter) and seasonal anchovy migrations in the Cantabrian sea, it was decided, with heavy hearts, that it would be best for Nora and Ian to go with their Spanish grandparents down to Extremadura for a fortnight because Marga's employer buys dozens of tons of anchovies that she has to oversee the processing of, which means long hours at work. We're still going to have a birthday party for him, of course, when he gets back. Who really cares if our memories of his first birthday party are recorded a week or two late?

A side effect of being temporarily childless is that I found a little extra free time, so I've made Ian a little slideshow of photos from his first year of life. Although I never did this particular video for her, I used to do this sort of thing for Nora all the time; such is the unescapable nature of being second.

Happy birthday, son. I love you more than you'll ever know.

<iframe width="505" height="284" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/LkSBxy2Lldg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Ian's First Birthday


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-10-how-culpability-effects-pain-perception/13760276594_68e1ff4cc8_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="How culpability effects pain perception">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-10-how-culpability-effects-pain-perception/13760276594_0ee0eb4eca_t.jpg" alt="How culpability effects pain perception"/>
</a>

One curiosity I've noticed as I watch my children grow into their bodies is how they react to pain. There are days where it seems like the childhood is one long series of injuries. No doubt every parent has seen this, but when a kid is pushed to the ground on the playground by another kid, the chances of the victim running to his Mommy for consolation is much higher than if the kid was doing something stupid or dangerous and fell. If you're a kid, and you hurt yourself by doing something stupid or risky the resulting pain appears to be minimized.  Adults, on the other hand, have trained themselves to go through a causal analysis every time something bad happens. This is what leads us into knee-jerk policy changes like taking away freedoms in an attempt to provide more security. I've found that whenever I get hurt and my causal analysis leads me back to a stupid or careless decision on my part (e.g. sunburn), I find that it hurts even more. Perhaps it's more shame or annoyance than actual pain being felt, but it amuses me that my reaction is the exact opposite of how children react to their injuries.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-10-how-culpability-effects-pain-perception/13760276594_68e1ff4cc8_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="How culpability effects pain perception">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-10-how-culpability-effects-pain-perception/13760276594_0ee0eb4eca.jpg" alt="How culpability effects pain perception"/>
</a>

This not at all scientific, but I figured it warranted a line graph. Do your observations of yourself and the rest of humanity agree with my hypothesis?


How culpability affects pain perception


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693740533_e71f8ea2a2_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Gentleman with hand on breast">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693740533_a206a949b5_t.jpg" alt="Gentleman with hand on breast"/>
</a>

For many years now, my wife has expressed interest in visiting the Spanish city of Toledo. Although she's not much of an art aficionado, if you ever ask her who her favorite painter is, she'll reliably respond "El Greco". So when we saw on the news that there was a big exhibition to celebrate the quadricentenary of El Greco's death in 1614 (yesterday, April 7, was the actual date), in which his greatest works would be shipped from museums around the world to Toledo, it was not a matter of if, but when we would go. When we got an opportunity to leave the kids with my in-laws, we took it!  <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693690463_1035b71ef4_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Stairwell">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693690463_e90a444e32_n.jpg" alt="Stairwell"/>
</a>

We set out on Friday afternoon – I picked Marga up directly at work – and we drove the five hours and twenty minutes down just south of Madrid to Toledo. This was our first usage of the internet lodging service, Airbnb, which I've been curious about and wanting to use for some time. Marga had come to me to tell me that all the hotels she could find were pretty expensive, so I went directly to airbnb.com and typed in Toledo, and the very first listing was a fellow named José who had [a room to rent](https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2415580) for 31€/night, for any number of people, right smack dab in the center of the old town.

Upon arrival, we would learn that the building used to be a university dormitory, and it feels very "institutional" – creepily so, even – with wider stairways and halls than a house or hotel would have. The first night we had the whole third floor to ourselves, staying in one of four or five rooms. Nothing about it was luxurious, but it was clean and warm and just what we needed. As I stated in my review on Airbnb, I would definitely stay there again, and recommend it to others. Having your lodging in the very center of town is very useful, and several times we chose to buy something and take it up to the room between tourist activities.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13713791545_6cbefdb845_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Toledo Panorama">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13713791545_1cc6d14cdf.jpg" alt="Toledo Panorama"/>
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This was the view from our room on the third floor. [View large](https://www.flickr.com/photos/erikrasmussen/13713791545/sizes/k/).

Probably the most uncomfortable thing about Toledo is also a big source of its charm. All the parking is outside the city walls, and then you've got a pretty steep climb to get up into the well fortified city. We parked at the bus station and carried all our stuff up a solid fifteen minute walk that was steeply uphill the entire way. But, once you're inside the city, the lack of traffic really adds to the impression that you've traveled back in time.

### What Toledo is known for

If you like swords, you've got to go to Toledo.

Toledo is probably most famous for it's period of _La Convivencia_, in which Christians, Muslims and Jews all occupied the city (and a good part of Spain) in relative peace. There was a very prominent Jewish Quarter, which made up a good part of the central city. As with most of Spain, the dominance of The Catholic Church was very omnipresent. When we asked our tour guide why there wasn't a Muslim Quarter, she gave the excuse that, really, if you look at the architecture, the whole city is very moorish. I agree, but there was much more emphasis on the history of the Jewish and Christian presence. We did enjoy the mosque that we visited, however.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693669475_32077e510e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Toledo Sword Shop">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693669475_5c08d8cbfd_n.jpg" alt="Toledo Sword Shop"/>
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Industrially, Toledo is famous for its metallurgy, specifically with steel swords. If you like swords, you've got to go to Toledo; every other shop is a swordmonger. I found it humorous that the sword industry has found it lucrative to follow Hollywood. There are many, many replicas of swords from _The Lord of the Rings_, and with more emphasis now, _The Hobbit_. Pretty much anything that is popular on the screen that involves blades was represented. _Game of Thrones_ had a good representation. When I returned home, the first thing someone who knew where I'd gone asked me was, "Did you buy a sword?"

My wife and I don't care much for weapons, but we do love history and the romance of walking in really old places, which is what really made us fall in love with Toledo. If you love walking down old cobblestone streets that are several (perhaps a dozen) centuries old, then Toledo will charm your socks off. The street structure is very much like labyrinth, organically grown without any imposed organization. Some of them are so narrow that I joked that some Americans might not be able to fit down them, and everywhere you look, there's a dark nook or alley to investigate. It was enchanting!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13694010364_84cd923171_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Corner in Toledo">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13694010364_4e7bc7c306.jpg" alt="Corner in Toledo"/>
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A lovely little corner, just meters from the cathedral where we had breakfast on Saturday.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693699063_102b25a135_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Toledo Map">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693699063_71ea61cb8f.jpg" alt="Toledo Map"/>
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There were maps of the city embedded in the ground in various places. You can see how none of the streets are even remotely parallel.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693675425_64cd8f42bb_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Santa Marí­a la Blanca - Synagogue in Toledo">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693675425_f73022f0a2.jpg" alt="Santa Marí­a la Blanca - Synagogue in Toledo"/>
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The Synagogue of Santa Marí­a la Blanca. It's pretty representative of the history of Toledo: a Jewish synagogue, built with Muslim architecture, named after the Virgin Mary.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693705463_2c4afaa128_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Tourist in Toledo">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693705463_3849eac661.jpg" alt="Tourist in Toledo"/>
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Our weather on Saturday was gorgeous!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13694025584_5ef5a0b2d4_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Museo El Greco">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13694025584_a0bcc0a66e.jpg" alt="Museo El Greco"/>
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At the El Greco Museum, a place built to represent, as best as historians can with partial information, the residence of Doménikos "El Greco" Theotokópoulos. This was _not_ where the exhibition was.

All the tickets to the _Museo Santa Cruz_, where the El Greco 2014 exhibition was, were booked for the Saturday, so we had to go at 2pm on Sunday, which was later than we wanted, but we had to accept it. What was available on Saturday, however, was entrance into the Church of Santo Tomé, where one of El Greco's most famous works lives permanently: _The Burial of the Conde Orgaz_. My wife was eagerly anticipating seeing this painting, but, I think that even if no one had primed me to be amazed, it still would've floored me.

[![](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/627px-El_Greco_-_The_Burial_of_the_Count_of_Orgaz.JPG)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Burial_of_the_Count_of_Orgaz)

Rather than take a photo of the painting, like everyone around me, I realized that it's probably already been [documented in hi-def on Wikipedia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/El_Greco_-_The_Burial_of_the_Count_of_Orgaz.JPG), so I was free to get lost in its detail. We spent about fifteen minutes just looking it over, and we could've spent much longer (as apparently Picasso and Dalí­ did). The detail and the paintings within the paintings were stunning. It was particularly creepy how El Greco painted himself into the painting; he's the only one looking "into the camera", so to speak. Many of the faces and objects looked positively photographic in quality. We were blown away.

<iframe width="505" height="284" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jb5xnvgzVVo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13694079234_13b4b73250_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Toledo City Wall">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13694079234_0158f2c42f.jpg" alt="Toledo City Wall"/>
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On Saturday evening we took some of our purchases down to the car, so we found ourselves outside the city walls.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693771225_1efc3c0fb2_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="toledo-panorama2">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693771225_1efc3c0fb2.jpg" alt="toledo-panorama2"/>
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The sunset was lovely.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693808253_ff3d7596d0_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693808253_575c8429f1.jpg" alt="Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz"/>
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On Sunday morning we went to see this mosque, the _Mezquita de Cristo de la Luz_. Again, notice the renaming of another religion's building to something Christ-related. It was pretty tiny, but interesting, especially the grounds around it.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13694129614_3909ace3d4_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Foggy Toledo">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13694129614_5d390f4ca2.jpg" alt="Foggy Toledo"/>
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A fog rolled in briefly on Sunday morning.

The only other thing on our list before the El Greco exhibition was to see the _Alcázar_, an old Roman fortress that has served several military purposes over the years. Carlos I received Cortes there in 1521 after Cortes returned from beating down the Aztecs. We were a little dubious because the ALcázar has been turned into a Spanish Military Museum, which didn't interest us much, but once we got inside, we managed to find our way to the _Patio de Armas_, the parade ground, which was gorgeous.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693839663_90e212fa34_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Alcazar - Toledo">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693839663_98de40dd15.jpg" alt="Alcazar - Toledo"/>
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And from above.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693844993_de774b26c3_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Alcazar - Patio - Toledo">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693844993_6774656b33.jpg" alt="Alcazar - Patio - Toledo"/>
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Cool.

They also had some old ornamental swords – this _is_ Toledo, after all – which were pretty awesome.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693794795_9d44170f7b_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Ornate Sword - Army Museum - Toledo">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693794795_60c8cf39b9_n.jpg" alt="Ornate Sword - Army Museum - Toledo"/>
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<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693828343_fe0a6bdd62_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Ornate Sword - Army Museum - Toledo">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693828343_5c1fd0574c_n.jpg" alt="Ornate Sword - Army Museum - Toledo"/>
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<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693809705_7d4ca16404_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Ornate Sword - Army Museum - Toledo">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693809705_3ee1937ee3.jpg" alt="Ornate Sword - Army Museum - Toledo"/>
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That's some amazing metalworking talent!

Finally we went to the _Museo Santa Cruz_, which used to be an old hospital, to see the El Greco exhibition we'd come to Toledo principally to see. It was very, very cool. There was an awful lot of more boring commission work he'd done to pay the bills, but some of the works were quite stunning. I can't say that any of them had as big an impression on me as _The Disrobing of Christ_, which we saw at the cathedral (that's another blog post), or _The Burial of Conde Orgaz_, but they were very, very good. The most famous of which was the _View of Toledo_.

[![](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/536px-El_Greco_-_View_of_Toledo_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_of_Toledo)

You can barely tell in the image here, but down on the river bank there are tiny little scratchings that let you make out humans bathing on the river bank. That's what most impressed me about El Greco's work: the tiniest little details that were perfectly sized and shaped to represent reality.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693868023_4641edb63c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="The Original American Supermarket - Toledo">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693868023_f2b0f3cd77.jpg" alt="The Original American Supermarket - Toledo"/>
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Just before we left, we stumbled upon The Original American Supermarket, which had me exclaiming "_Jiffy_ Corn Muffin Mix!" "Fruit Loops!" and the names of several other American products that are impossible to get in Spain. Expats are easily excitable...

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693873373_98354d60ab_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Toledo Bus Station">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693873373_e4d6870ab6.jpg" alt="Toledo Bus Station"/>
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One last look down from the city walls towards the bus station where our car was parked. We got in the car and made it home in just over five hours in time to see our two lovely children to bed on Sunday night.

I leave you with my favorite of El Greco's masterpieces: _The Gentleman with His Hand at His Breast_.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693740533_e71f8ea2a2_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Gentleman with hand on breast">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-04-08-visiting-el-greco-toledo-2014/13693740533_a206a949b5_z.jpg" alt="Gentleman with hand on breast"/>
</a>


6 posts from April, 2014