I've heard so many great things about Toledo, from friends, clients and history books. But another thing is to have actually been there. To witness a city that can band together the entire history of Spain is really amazing. All the cultures that formed what we know as Spain, gathered in this tremendous city. Toledo was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1986 for its extensive monumental and cultural heritage, the latter marked by the historical peaceful co-existence of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish cultures for centuries. It was still hot that day, after the inferno of Sevilla, the journey to adventure myself into this city started really early. I took the train from Madrid and, in Toledo, a tour bus to take me up to this great city. I would have walked the entire thing, but bottles of water can be heavy. There was no way I would walk up the hill without at least three gallons of water with me, but it's a drag when you are trying to document everything with a camera.
The rich architecture can be seen from the city's entrance. The Alcazar, the Castilla La Mancha Library and the Museum of the Army is a stone fortification located in the highest part of the city. Just magnificent. A whole amazing experience was waiting for me in this city, as soon as I popped out of the bus. I crossed the Alcántara Bridge into this melting pot of multicultural structures. Walked through streets where you could see some Jewish heritage, Muslim arches and Christian edifications. I think one of the highest points in Toledo was the Church of Santo Tomé. Not only this place is beautiful, but it holds a really tall bell tower where you can have a 360 view of the city. The beautiful art inside the church leaves you literally speechless and there are some amazing paintings of Doménikos Theotokópoulos.
Many people don't know him by his real name, and the fact that he lived a very large part of his life in Toledo. But everyone knows his AKA name: El Greco. His famous painting: The Burial of the Count of Organ can be seen at this church.
Outside of Church of San Tomé, just a few blocks from it you will find the main plaza. It gathers not only people from all over the world, but many little restaurants with amazing food. And so many other streets that would take you in so many different directions. One would take you to the Alcazar, another one to Puerta del Sol, and another one to Puerta de Bisagra... literally everywhere. But let the images talk for themselves. Spain was truly such an amazing and beautiful country. I cannot wait to go back and explore the northern part of it. Until next time España!
