Toledo - Spain (May 2019)

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Our first stop was in Toledo. The old city of Toledo was actually sitting inside a wall and surrounded by the Tagus river. The view of the city from afar with the Tagus river in the foreground feels like one has gone back in time, as the structures in the city were preserved and maintained their cultural heritage. It was an amazing sight from this viewpoint.
The tour was a walk into the city through the narrow cobblestone laid streets. The architecture in Toledo is supposed to have influences from Moorish, Christianity and Jewish. Jewish quarter has some distinct signs and markings on the streets and in some buildings.
I was hoping to see the painting in the Church of Santo Tome to see the famous El Greco painting from 1584, but the tour didn’t really stop there long enough. ‘El Greco’ is Spanish for ‘The Greek’. He was supposed to have come from Greece, but he spent time in Italy where got trained and picked up some new styles there. His paintings seem to have gotten more recognition and became famous after this period. His moves around brought him to Toledo and he lived there until his death in 1614. 

We continued along, next to the Toledo Cathedral. This gothic style cathedral nested inside the network of crisscrossing streets can be seen from afar owing to its tall structure that is several stories high. This was supposed to have been built between 13th and 15th century. 
The intricate carvings and the decorative stucco on the outside exhume the richness of the art and the tasted artists who created it. Here again, we didn’t have time to go inside the church. There is a side entrance (Portal of the Clock) through which it is free to enter, but you are cordoned off from the main altar of the Church. But, one can still get a glimpse of the interior. The ‘Retable’ was so high, elaborate and portrayed several themes. Everything inside the cathedral was magnificent.
Then, we proceeded to the town center and grabbed some marzipan pie in a local store run by the nuns. Several stores in Toledo were selling swords and knifes indicating that the Toledo was a traditional sword-making center since 500BC.




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