Round Three: Toledo
Last Saturday, I took another out-of-town excursion, this time on Spain’s high speed train. In just 25 comfortable minutes, I was zipped from Madrid to Toledo (pronounced Toe-Lay-Dough), and you’ll never guess that I saw. City walls and a huge old cathedral and narrow windy streets and a castle. Whoa!
Clearly, I’ve got a bit of a pattern developing here. So as not to repeat much of my Segovia and Avila entries, I’m going to limit my comments on Toledo’s versions of these ‘attractions’ to a sentence or two:
The Castle: Toldeo’s castle (alcazar) is very large but also closed for renovations so I didn’t get inside.
City Walls: The walls themselves are pretty ho-hum but the entrances are quite spectacular.
Cathedral: This is the cathedral that ate Chicago. It’s huge and extremely ornate. I spent one hour there, but could have spent three.
Narrow, winding streets: I don’t know why I have such a thing for narrow streets. It isn’t as if, by contrast, I hate wide boulevards. There is just something about them.
But I will say this: I have now found a subject more impossible to photograph than a whale. It’s a narrow, winding street. Too much light at the top + not enough at the bottom = horrible exposure. Impossible. I’m officially done photographing narrow streets. It never works. Enjoy these last four (bad) shots because it’s the last you are gonna get from me. So there.
And…I also found a new feature to obsess over during my visit: Toledo’s fantastically ornate wooden balconies.
SO TOLEDO IS JUST ANOTHER AVILA OR SEGOVIA?:
Nope. What Rome is to Italy, Toledo is to Spain. Still referred to as the Imperial City, Toledo crams over 3,500 of history into a small outcrop protected on three sides by the Tajo River. It was a key city—-or the city—-for the Romans, then the Visigoths, then the Moors, then the Spaniards. For thousands of years, it has been a very important city. But more importantly…
“during its medieval heyday, Toledo was famous for intellectual tolerance—a city for the humanities, where God was known by many names. It was a Sesame Street world of cultural diversity, home to Jews, Muslims, and Christians, living together in harmony.” (Rick Steves)
This tolerance and respect is visible in the city’s pervasive Mudejar architecture—a beautiful blending of Spanish and Muslim styles.
Even Toledo’s historic Jewish synagogues are built in this Muslim-inspired style, making them actually appear more Muslim than Jewish. Here are a few images from the interior of the Sinagoga del Transito.
MORE IMPORTANTLY: WHAT’S THERE TO EAT
I have received several requests to continue sharing information about the foods here in Spain, so…what did I eat while in Toledo? Delicious fried calamari. I have never been much of a fan of calamari, but I absolutely love the way it is prepared in Spain—very lightly fried and using only the freshest, most tender calamari.
And to make sure it’s not just bad for you, but extremely bad for you, they dip it in mayonnaise. Sounds gross but trust me, the mayonnaise adds just the right touch. It’s one of those “an apple pie without the cheese…” combinations.
Toledo is perhaps best known for it’s Mazapan, so after lunch I bought a bag and tasted a few pieces. Not for me. I gave several pieces away to my fellow travelers, then trashed the remainder. It doesn’t taste bad, just not terribly good either. To me, it’s bland, dense cookie dough. For the wallop of calories those little guys pack, I can do better.
ON MY WAY OUT OF TOWN…
Toledo’s medieval street plan is very confusing. I had no trouble making my way from the train station into town, but when it came time to leave, I just could not seem to find my way out. It’s a good thing I gave myself plenty of extra time because what took 20 minutes on the way in, took 60 minutes on the way out. It actually got pretty funny, and I was oddly disappointed when I finally emerged victorious. I was really getting a kick at how badly I was fairing.
During that ‘lost hour’ I happened to stumble across one of Toledo’s MANY churches and decided to take a peak inside. Turned out that this church was just one of 10 Catholic churches throughout the world that was, at that very moment, participating in a live telecast with the pope. I arrived just in time to see the pope enter the room, and the faithful in attendance wave their yellow flags with glee.
They waived the flags several times over the next few minutes, no idea why, but it was quite fascinating to experience. The energy in that Cathedral was fantastic. Everyone was just so happy.
Not able to follow such speedy Spanish, I left after just 10 minutes. It was fun to experience for a few minutes, but not something I was interested in sitting through.
AND NOW I AM IN SEVILLE…
…another city with a huge cathedral, a castle, and winding narrow streets. Bet’cha can’t wait for the next entry. (he he)
Clearly, I’ve got a bit of a pattern developing here. So as not to repeat much of my Segovia and Avila entries, I’m going to limit my comments on Toledo’s versions of these ‘attractions’ to a sentence or two:
The Castle: Toldeo’s castle (alcazar) is very large but also closed for renovations so I didn’t get inside.
City Walls: The walls themselves are pretty ho-hum but the entrances are quite spectacular.
Cathedral: This is the cathedral that ate Chicago. It’s huge and extremely ornate. I spent one hour there, but could have spent three.
Narrow, winding streets: I don’t know why I have such a thing for narrow streets. It isn’t as if, by contrast, I hate wide boulevards. There is just something about them. 
But I will say this: I have now found a subject more impossible to photograph than a whale. It’s a narrow, winding street. Too much light at the top + not enough at the bottom = horrible exposure. Impossible. I’m officially done photographing narrow streets. It never works. Enjoy these last four (bad) shots because it’s the last you are gonna get from me. So there. And…I also found a new feature to obsess over during my visit: Toledo’s fantastically ornate wooden balconies.
SO TOLEDO IS JUST ANOTHER AVILA OR SEGOVIA?:
Nope. What Rome is to Italy, Toledo is to Spain. Still referred to as the Imperial City, Toledo crams over 3,500 of history into a small outcrop protected on three sides by the Tajo River. It was a key city—-or the city—-for the Romans, then the Visigoths, then the Moors, then the Spaniards. For thousands of years, it has been a very important city. But more importantly…
“during its medieval heyday, Toledo was famous for intellectual tolerance—a city for the humanities, where God was known by many names. It was a Sesame Street world of cultural diversity, home to Jews, Muslims, and Christians, living together in harmony.” (Rick Steves)
This tolerance and respect is visible in the city’s pervasive Mudejar architecture—a beautiful blending of Spanish and Muslim styles.
Even Toledo’s historic Jewish synagogues are built in this Muslim-inspired style, making them actually appear more Muslim than Jewish. Here are a few images from the interior of the Sinagoga del Transito.
MORE IMPORTANTLY: WHAT’S THERE TO EAT
I have received several requests to continue sharing information about the foods here in Spain, so…what did I eat while in Toledo? Delicious fried calamari. I have never been much of a fan of calamari, but I absolutely love the way it is prepared in Spain—very lightly fried and using only the freshest, most tender calamari.
And to make sure it’s not just bad for you, but extremely bad for you, they dip it in mayonnaise. Sounds gross but trust me, the mayonnaise adds just the right touch. It’s one of those “an apple pie without the cheese…” combinations.
Toledo is perhaps best known for it’s Mazapan, so after lunch I bought a bag and tasted a few pieces. Not for me. I gave several pieces away to my fellow travelers, then trashed the remainder. It doesn’t taste bad, just not terribly good either. To me, it’s bland, dense cookie dough. For the wallop of calories those little guys pack, I can do better. ON MY WAY OUT OF TOWN…
Toledo’s medieval street plan is very confusing. I had no trouble making my way from the train station into town, but when it came time to leave, I just could not seem to find my way out. It’s a good thing I gave myself plenty of extra time because what took 20 minutes on the way in, took 60 minutes on the way out. It actually got pretty funny, and I was oddly disappointed when I finally emerged victorious. I was really getting a kick at how badly I was fairing.
During that ‘lost hour’ I happened to stumble across one of Toledo’s MANY churches and decided to take a peak inside. Turned out that this church was just one of 10 Catholic churches throughout the world that was, at that very moment, participating in a live telecast with the pope. I arrived just in time to see the pope enter the room, and the faithful in attendance wave their yellow flags with glee.
They waived the flags several times over the next few minutes, no idea why, but it was quite fascinating to experience. The energy in that Cathedral was fantastic. Everyone was just so happy.
Not able to follow such speedy Spanish, I left after just 10 minutes. It was fun to experience for a few minutes, but not something I was interested in sitting through.
AND NOW I AM IN SEVILLE…
…another city with a huge cathedral, a castle, and winding narrow streets. Bet’cha can’t wait for the next entry. (he he)