Dec 21, 2014
A perfect day trip from Madrid by car, bus or train, Toledo is a treasure not only because of its history (the former capital of Spain) but also because has a number of important monuments. It is called the “city of the three cultures” because Christians, Arabs and Jews lived together there together for centuries, leading to much diversity. The city Is surrounded by River Tagus which helps frame the city on a hill.
It was quite easy to get turned around and lost as the streets maze in and out in the historic downtown. Small alleys almost so narrow you could touch the walls on either side are 100’s of years old, and many are not wide enough for vehicles. There are churches, mosques, and synagogues as well as convents and monasteries all in the downtown.
One of the first standouts is the Cathedral (8 euro entry) is thought to be an outstanding part of Gothic art. It was started to be built in 1226 but did not finish until the 1400’s.
The first official stop was Iglesias de Santo Tome to see the famous painting; El Entierro Del Señor De Orgaz or The Burial of the Count of Orgaz. It is a painting by El Greco, a famous painter who moved here from Crete, Greece. It’s a very large painting (we could not take pictures so this is from the museum site) that experts point out is “heavenly above and terrestrial below, but it gives little impression of duality. ”
We left there and headed to the Greco museum only to get lucky as they closing in 15 minutes so we ran and saw some of his other famous paintings.
All and all Toledo is a MUST SEE if you ever get to Spain!
Cathedral in Toledo, Spain
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