Todo Toledo!
So today, I went to Toledo, Spain; a town Southeast of Salamanca, just South of Madrid. Toledo is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. And having just came from Toledo, I completely agree. The trip to Toledo didn’t start out so pretty. 3 hour bus ride from Salamanca, which leaves at 8am in the morning.
However, the trip was totally worth it. The streets of Toledo are like old narrow cobblestone roads shared by pedestrians and cars. They reminded me of a similar town in England called York. However, one thing that Toledo has that York doesn’t is the warm 90 degree Fahrenheit weather. According to our tour guide, it was a cool day… for Toledo.
Streets of Toledo
We learned a lot about the deep history with it’s occupation by the muslim crusaders in the 600’s, and it’s eventual re-christianization later on, hundreds of years later. This makes for an interesting mix of historical monuments of different cultures and religions. We visited the Catedral de Toledo, which is one of the, if not the most beautiful cathedral I have ever visited. From the outside, the cathedral is completely amazing. Tourists to Toledo can’t go wrong if they simply come to the cathedral to see it from the outside. Placed in the center of Toledo, the cathedral acts as a sort of centerpiece for the city.
Catedral de Toledo
The detail on every inch of the walls and columns of the cathedral is completely astounding. Standing there surrounded by the echo’s of the huge baroque-styled cathedral, one cannot do anything other than simply admire the brains and planning behind such a great piece of architectural art. The cathedral also has its own museum on the inside, which seemed as though it never ended, with rooms that led to more rooms that led to corridors leading to bigger rooms… check out this picture I was able to snap while security had his back turned to me…
Catedral de Toledo
Toledo is situated as a sort of peninsula in how it is almost completely surrounded by a river. The river makes for great pictures, so instead of me trying to describe the beauty of the river bank, I’d rather just post one of my many pictures…
River Banks of El Rio de Toledo
We also visited the Museo de Santa Cruz, which hosts many works of art by artists such as Ricardo Arredondo, Calmache, and El Greco.
wait… did I just say El Greco?! What’s the big deal you may ask… well… my family has a restaurant in Sheepshead Bay we frequently go to (really good) called “El Greco”. So, I couldn’t help but make the link once I saw the artists name on his painting, “La Immaculada Concepcion” seen below. Good to know the reason behind the name of our family restaurant is finally discovered… and I guess it makes for great dinner conversation too, probably at El Greco (the restaurant).
"La Immaculada Concepcion" de El Greco
So, hope you’re enjoying my blog as much as I enjoy writing it!!
Adios!
