Toledo in Spain
Toledo is a small town huddled around the River Tagus, but was once of great importance and indeed was the capital of Spain.
I had no idea what delights were in store for us. Toledo is like a maze of winding narrow streets with beautiful architecture.
The place oozes ambience, atmosphere and vivaciousness. Yet I felt like I was living in the past, a strange experience. The buildings and churches came alive, not just another church.
When the Goths conquered Spain, they made Toledo the capital of their empire and it started to expand. The Castilio of San Servando ( now a youth hostel), the nearby Puente Alcantara bridge and the Puerto Cambron gate,much resored are the principle relics.
Moorish Era
The Moors made Toledo one of the most important cities in Spain. Two mosques and 3 gates remain of the Moorish era.
The MEZQUITO DEL CRISTO DE LA LUZ, dating from 12th century is the best preserved
RECONQUEST
After conquering Toledo in 1085, the first major town to be taken, Alfonso made Toledo the capital of his empire. During this time the city became famous for it´s ‘School of Translators’ which translated Greek, Latin, and Hebrew texts into Castillian, founding the basis of modern Castillian language.
Churches were built in the MUDEJAR style, a cross between Moorish and Christian styles, typified by their geometrical patterns.
There is today still a large Jewish influence in Toledo and there are two synagogues, SINAGOGA DE SANTA M ARIA LA BLANCA AND SINAGOGA DE EL TRANSITO are also built in mudejar style.
If I had to choose only one building to visit it would be the impressive Cathedral, build between 1220 and 1492.
My first view of this majestic cathedral
Words cannot explain the magnificence and opulence of this cathedral which houses works of art by El ¨Greco, Goya, and Van Dyck plus a display of pure gold and silver reliquary.
King Phillip ll replaced Toledo with Madrid as the capital of Spain and Toledo´s importance began to decline but some fine buildings remain
The MUSEO DE SANTA CURZ founded in C16th . It includes El Greco´s ‘The Assumption of the Virgin.
The Burial of Count Orgaz
El Greco a local hero revered everywhere. He was born in Crete but moved to Toledo in 1577 at the age of 36 and lived and painted in Toledo until his death at the age of 73.
His works are widely available to see but perhaps his best know is Burial of Count Orgaz in the Iglesia San Tome.
This took my breath away as the young guide lead us through every aspect of this enormous painting. There are around another 30 paintings spread around the various buildings in Toledo.
Today Toledo is a thriving national centre for Spanish stainless steel and there are hundreds of shops selling knives and armour of every variety plus kitchen utensils.
Marzipan is also widely available especially the variety produced by the nuns…. Because it is blessed!
We were fascinated to watch men painstakingly applying their skills in gold inlay.
After an impressive, exhausting but exhilarating 3 days in Toledo we headed home via La Mancha and the windmills and statues of Don Quijote and Sancho.
Part of the landscape of La Mancha.
Of course this was after a wonderful traditional Spanish lunch of Castilla La Mancha and the wine tasting in the bodega.!!!
Was the stainless steelstatue of Don Quijote really moving or was it the wine?
One of my companions on the coach had this to say about Toledo:
‘I heard a gasp of wonder fly through the coach as we beheld a fairy castle rising from the flat horizons of chequered fields. The island promontory of spires and medieval roofscapes were held together by the Tagus River, on its way to the Atlantic via Portugal thousands of miles away.
Toledo is the repository of more than 2,000 years of history. Its masterpieces are the product of heterogeneous civilizations in an environment where the existence of three major religions – Judaism, Muslin and Christian.
My first impressions were ‘how clean’, how cherished, how exquisite. The roads too narrow for cars, so how do they get their shopping home? (You have to park and walk). A rabbit warren of narrow streets and yet even more narrow streets. Always with a spire or exquisite building above or ahead.
