Holy Toledo

Holy Toledo … that was a great stop.  We visited Toledo on the advice of friends Sam and Cheryl, and others.  We were not disappointed, except maybe Deborah who had hoped to do more shopping.  When you are a shopper like her, you are disappointed if the number of shops does not outnumber your ability to see them all, but if you like ancient hilltop medieval towns, Toledo is the place for you. 

Toledo is located about a half-hour train ride outside of Madrid.  It is small in comparison to most of the cities we have visited and has an ancient core within the city’s walls that dates back to medieval times.  Toledo’s core is a designated, World Heritage site due mainly to the city’s street layout that has not been altered since medieval times.  As a result, the streets are extremely narrow and have no resemblance to the typical grid pattern of today.  We stayed at the hotel Cigarrales de Carravantes located just outside the walls on the opposite side of the river Tagus.  We had our own private courtyard with a view across the canyon to the walled city.  At 70 Euros a night, we would recommend it to others.

Train Station

View From Our Mini Courtyard

Hotel View From Bar/Restaurant

Toledo has been home to the Romans, Moors, Jews, Visigoths and Christians.  It once stood as the capital of the Kingdom of Toledo.  The architecture embodies the different styles each group brought to the city.  The Jewish Quarter still exists and features the Synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca and the entrances to the city are shaped in the Arabic “keyhole” design.

Road Sign Lit At Night

One of the City's Entrances

One of Two Bridges Entering the Town

The hilltop is dominated by the Toledo Cathedral (hence Holy Toledo).  It was started in 1226 and finished in 1493.  We were a little short on touring patience (and money) so we opted for the free short version tour but it was enough to see the opulence and grandeur.  At night the up lighting makes it standout for miles in every direction.

We also visited the Roman Baths unearthed during excavation, not more than 200 meters from the Cathedral.

We entered the city via the San Martin Ponte  (bridge), built in the 1300’s.  We had a lunch in the Plaza Magdalena and a dinner in the Zocodover Plaza, the main square of the city.  The Zocodover was teaming with tourists and while the food and drink was a little expensive, it was an experience to be there when everyone comes out to play.

Not Sure What a "Farton" Was But We Weren't Buying

Toledo is Famous for Its Marzipan

We also took advantage of a free tour of the Santa Cruz Museum that houses some of the works of the top Spanish painters of the 16^th and 17^th centuries.  Toledo was home to El Greco’s for a great many years and his work can be found throughout the city.  We watched a short film that helped me get a little more understanding of the painters' work.  All these masters were professional painters.  They earned their living painting and therefore went to where the money was.  In those days it was the Church, royalty, and the emerging merchant class.  In light of these facts, it is less surprising that the bulk of the master painters’ subjects were: i) the birth of Christ, ii) the death of Christ, iii) the resurrection of Christ, iv) virtues espoused by the Church, and v) portraits of members of the royals and wealthy merchants families.

Museum Courtyard Had Antiquities Dated in the 1200's

For our exercise, we walked the Tagus River trail that circled the walls of the city.   It was picturesque with its abandoned mills, weirs, bridges, and fishermen relaxing by the river’s edge.

View Looking West From the Top

We spent our last evening enjoying a local bottle of wine and cheese on our private courtyard.  We could hear the laughter of a wedding taking place next door and the lights of the walled city came alive at night.

We took some time to reflect on our trip to Portugal and Spain.  There is no one place that stands out better than the others but “gun to our head” we would both say Barcelona would top the list of cities, with Lisbon a close second.  As for experiences, we will both remember enjoying the “stinky beers” immediately after the completion of the Camino.  We formed a bond with our group that will last our lifetimes.  When you accomplish a significant physical goal as a group, an emotional attachment forms that is not easily broken.

This will be the last post for this trip as we ready to go to the Madrid airport and fly home to Vancouver, via Frankfurt on Lufthansa.  Until we travel again, so long!