As a backgrounder, Toledo is one of the Spanish cities with the greatest wealth of monuments. It is known as the “city of the three cultures” because Christians, Arabs and Jews lived together there for centuries. Behind its walls, Toledo preserves an artistic and cultural legacy in the form of churches, palaces, fortresses, mosques and synagogues.
Toledo is also known as “La Ciudad Imperial” (Imperial City) for a reason; this is Iberia’s Rome with a cultural slug of mosques, synagogues, churches and museums, plus the added high of a lofty setting, perched on a rocky ridge above Río Tajo. Like the Middle East grafted onto Catholic Spain, Toledo’s labyrinth of narrow streets, plazas and inner patios is reminiscent of the medinas (towns) of Damascus, Cairo or Morocco’s Fez. Yet from Toledo’s heart rises the Gothic grandeur of the cathedral and the grim composure of the Alcázar. The artistic legacy bequeathed by the city’s former inhabitants of Romans, Jews and Muslims is reflected in this intriguing mosaic of architecture, as well as in its cultural values.
Historically, Toledo became a fortified city under Roman occupation - its location and the River Tajo made it an ideal fortress, and from that moment on, the city became one of Spain's most important political, economic and cultural centres. It was once the capital city of Spain, and it retained its importance under Arab occupation. When the Spanish armies regained control of the city, Toledo became the official residence of the Spanish Kings and Queens until the 16th century.
Today, Toledo is a magical place, probably one of the most spectacular cities in the world. It still retains the atmosphere and aura which are characteristic of so many European capital cities. The buildings and winding streets contained within the old city walls hold hundreds of years of history, and the River Tajo which runs alongside the city walls adds to its charm and beauty.
As Rafael had said, “if you only have one day in Spain, visit Toledo.” And I fully agree. It’s amazingly beautiful!
Our tour guide took us on a walking tour of the old city through cobbled stone streets. Toledo has many towers, old gates, narrow, winding streets, massive houses, and predominantly Moorish architecture, which give it a medieval atmosphere. Synagogues, mosques and churches jostle in the narrow streets of the city, which is characterized by the mixture of artistic styles.
Moreover, Toledo Cathedral (shown below) is ranked among the greatest Gothic structures in Europe. On its main façade, the outstanding feature is the doorway, made up of three doors: Infierno (Hell), Perdón (Forgiveness) and Juicio (Judgment). The exterior is topped by two cathedral towers, one of them in flamboyant Gothic style and the other in Gothic-Renaissance.
If there is one person's name that defines Toledo, it is that of the world-renowned painter, El Greco. No picture better demonstrates the essence of El Greco's art than his most famous painting, “The Burial of the Count of Orgaz”, which was painted for his own parish church, and can be found in the Church of Santo Tomé.
Gonzalo Ruiz de Toledo, Count of Orgaz, was a Toledan nobleman who had lived in the 14th century and was renowned as a donor to religious institutions. Before he died, he had willed certain rents from the village of Orgaz to the Church of Santo Tomé, where he had elected to be buried. In 1586, the parish priest initiated a project to refurbish the count's burial chapel, and commissioned El Greco to paint what has to be considered as his masterpiece.
The most striking aspect of the painting is the juxtaposition of the imaginative vision of heaven with the burial scene, in which all the figures are garbed in contemporary costumes and presumably represent distinguished citizens of El Greco's Toledo. The dichotomy in style between the upper and lower parts is one of the most remarkable features of the painting. In the lower zone, El Greco meticulously reproduces the appearances of persons and objects. The heavenly scene, by contrast, is far more abstracted. This peculiar synthesis of real and super-real is essential to El Greco's art.
From the Church of Santo Tomé, we proceeded to the Jewish part of town. Remains of the Jewish community are still preserved in the city in the synagogues of Santa María la Blanca and El Tránsito. The former, built possibly in the 12th century, is also a good example of Toledo's Mudejar art.
Meanwhile, in the synagogue of El Tránsito, built in 1357, you can admire one of the best Mudejar coffered ceilings of all those preserved in Toledo, along with walls richly decorated with geometrical and botanical designs and Hebrew inscriptions. Nowadays, this Jewish place of worship houses the Sephardic Museum, in which an interesting collection of pieces of art and various objects used in Jewish ceremonies are exhibited.
The city of Toledo is built on a promontory, about 732 m (about 2400 ft) above sea level, bordered on three sides by a gorge in the Tajo, with the land side protected by an inner and outer wall. The maze of streets making up the historic centre of Toledo is bounded by walls in which many gates were opened.
The picture below is the San Martin Bridge, which links Toledo to the west.
The most famous industry in Toledo is the manufacture of swords, both by private companies and by a government factory. And that was exactly where we headed to next. We stopped at a metal-work factory to see how for generations they’ve made swords, knives, and other metal work to sell all over the world. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed inside the factory.
Thereafter, we had lunch in one of the restaurants called “Venta de Aires” before proceeding to our next destination, Cordoba.
Along the way, Rafael surprised us with what Trafalgar Tours calls “Hidden Treasure”. We stopped at La Mancha. Remember the novel entitled, “Don Quixote de la Mancha?” Apparently, next to the Bible, this is the 2nd most published book in the world, and it is also the most translated book in the world. Impressive, indeed!
Anyhow, Miguel de Cervantes gave international fame to this land and its windmills when he wrote this novel. Cervantes was making fun of this region, using a pun; "mancha" was also a stain, as on one's honor, and thus a hilariously inappropriate homeland for a dignified knight-errant. Translator John Ormsby believed that Cervantes chose it because it was the most ordinary, prosaic, anti-romantic, and therefore unlikely place from which a chivalrous, romantic hero could originate, making Quixote seem even more absurd.
Currently home to hundreds of wineries, which thrive despite challenging growing conditions, La Mancha is not only Spain’s most prominent wine region but it’s also one of the largest wine-producing regions in the world. Although La Mancha’s viticultural reputation once rested on the quantity of its productivity, increasingly its wines are known for their quality. Dry farming of wheat, barley, and oats is important to the local economy. However, farming has been severely restricted by unfavourable environmental conditions. Sheep farming is important in the province, as is the production of Manchego cheese, one of Spain’s most famous cheeses. The region is also renowned for its production of the herb saffron, derived from the purple-flowered saffron crocus plant, which is thought to have been taken to Spain by the Moors in the 10th century.
Thereafter, we continued on towards Cordoba. Along the way, you can see endless fields of cotton trees to your right and hectares and hectares of olive trees to your left. The scenery is simply breathtaking!
Guide books describe Cordoba as 'provincial', but the six-lane highway that leads into the city would have you believe otherwise. Certainly parts of the city are provincial, but you won't see anything but a bustling city as you come in to the city. More so when we reached the city proper enroute to our hotel. One can only gasp in awe when you pass along “Avenida de Brillante” where one could see the million-dollar homes of the filthy rich.
We then checked in into Ayre Hotel Cordoba, a very elegant hotel located in a wealthy residential area, completely hidden between private elegant homes. It’s a very pretty and spacious hotel that has a nice garden.
So, while waiting for our dinner to be had, I scrambled towards the garden for some photo ops:
Below is a close-up view of Seville oranges, which are not meant to be eaten because they’re quite bitter and, therefore, only made into marmalade.
After dinner, we called it a night and went to bed.
To Be Continued....
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