Holy Toledo!

I could see Jews, Christians, and Moors going about their daily lives, undisturbed by religious or racial discord; and most of all I could imagine El Greco himself assimilating Toledo’s unique atmosphere. –Penelope Casas, The Province of Toledo in “Discovering Spain”

Holy Toledo! If you have ever heard this expression, you will appreciate our visit to this beautiful city. Toledo, which was the capital of Spain until 1561, is about an hour bus ride southwest of Madrid. We toured the Synagogue of Tránsito, the Cathedral (which had been built in the same place where a mosque had been razed), and the Church of Santo Tomé, where we saw El Greco’s most famous painting, The Burial of Count Orgaz. One of the students who had participated in Merrimack’s Pellegrinaggio to Italy last year pointed out that Saint Augustine was in the painting. Father Jim, you would have been proud!

After returning to Madrid, we had dinner with three special guests. Diego Gabadian ’05, a Merrimack alumnus currently living in Madrid, told the students, “you will always appreciate your experience at Merrimack”. Diego is currently working in Spain and is earning his Master’s degree in International Relations at the Universidad Carlos III. Paloma Espinosa and Javier Rodriguez, two Spanish exchange students who will study at Merrimack in the upcoming year, also joined us for dinner. It was nice to meet them in their home country, and we look forward to welcoming them to Merrimack in September!