Holy Toledo

Saturday my senora, Gloria, took four of us to the historical sight of Toledo. Toledo is one of the jewels of Central Spain. It belongs to the province of Toledo and is the capital of the autonomous region of Castilla la Mancha. This city is also the former capital of Spain.  Toledo isn’t in Madrid obviously so we had to take a short metro ride to the bus station. The bus was about 40 minutes long which was not bad at all. The city of Toledo is completely surrounded by a high stone wall which dates back from when Toledo consisted of Jews, Muslims, and Catholics only (also known as the “city of three cultures”). Toledo is also the town where Don Quixote, the famous novel character, resided. I am SHOCKED at how much history is found in such a small place. The cool thing about visiting all these historical places is that I’m simultaneously learning about them in my Spanish Culture and Civilization class. What more could I ask for?  Gloria showed us the way around the intimate town. Some historical spots include the cathedral, the synagogue, mosques, Goya paintings, castle/shelter, secret paths, and much more. The cathedral is said to be the most famous Spanish cathedral. Construction began in 1226 and ended in the 15^th century. The cathedral features original artwork from Goya, El Greco, and Van Dyck. We also had the opportunity to venture up the cathedral’s bell tower and get a glimpse of the city from a bird’s eye view. The stairways and hallways were so narrow! Going down the 270 steps was definitely harder than going up. We ended the day walking through narrow streets looking at what the shops had to offer. Almost every place had a sword or weapon of some sort to sell as Toledo’s history is rooted during the medieval time periods! They were EVERYWHERE. Toledo is the perfect place to take a day trip. It was not expensive at all, a great history lesson, adorable town, and easily doable in one day.