Again, we must say goodbye before saying hello to new adventures on the road less traveled. This was the view from our window in the Parador of Úbeda. It was our last historic home accommodation and I admit feeling a pang of sadness at leaving these accommodations. For me, staying in the restored historic hotels was a good part of the magic of the trip. When we get to Madrid we will be staying in a convenient modern hotel near the museums, but the historic hotels add that certain feeling of history which came as an integral part of the voyage.
A most unusual comfort stop along the way was a visit to the tiny Cervantes museum, which we visited before heading on the freeway to get to the magnificent town of Toledo.
We even were able to glimpse a few old-fashioned windmills along the side of the road!
We had to fuel ourselves for the energetic walk to come, so we stopped at the oldest restaurant in the city of Toledo, built on the site of the Roman circus – with some ruins still standing – for a feast including one of the most iconic foods in Spain, Paella! We started with a delicious mixed salad and finished off with Baked Alaska! Wow!
We waited in anticipation..
Cooled, fueled and fortified by our lunch, we were ready to conquer the city of Toledo.
We headed up to the escalators, which you can see in the right of this photo, which propelled us to the top of the city. It was down hill the rest of the way. We walked in the shadows, careful not to expose ourselves to the sweltering heat, the hottest summer on record for many decades.
The city is located on the Tagus river, which meanders through the city. It was originally founded in the 5th century BC when Jewish inhabitants first settled here. It became an important settlement in later years as civilizations rose and fell, from the Romans, Visigoths, and Moors. Eventually the Christians took control of the city from the 11th century on, led by Alfonso VI. Toledo was even at one time the capital of Spain, until it was relocated to Madrid. The architecture reflects the various inhabitants and the footprints they left. Today Toledo is considered a cultural mix of its Christian, Jewish and Moorish roots.
It is very difficult to cram all the museums and monuments into one half day’s visit, so our guide focused on a few of the iconic sites.
we arrived at the cathedral at a convenient time, because it was the day before the celebration of Corpus Christie, one of the major events in the Roman Catholic calendar and the cathedral was preparing for a procession the following day.
The cathedral was built between 1226-1493 and is remarkable for its incorporation of light. It features the baroque altar, several stories high, with fantastic figures of stucco, paintings, bronze castings and medieval mixed media.
Our next stop was to the Church of Santo Tomé. We ony went to see the famous El Greco painting, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, which we were not able to photograph. Google it if you wish; it is truly amazing.
We enjoyed the architecture and history inside the Congregational Synagogue of Toledo, the oldest synagogue building in Europe, built in 1180, which is now a museum now owned and preserved by the Catholic Church. It is also known as Santa María la Blanca.
rhe architecture is stunning, but, wait..it is definitely Islamic. We were told by our very knowledgeable guide that the best architects during this time were Muslim, so, of course, they incorporated their style into the synagogue. This is again a symbol of the harmony that existed between the three major religions during the 11th-13th centuries, where all religions lived together side by side. The building is very impressive.
We strolled the streets, enjoying views of storefronts and shops. This was my second visit to this magical city and I still haven’t seen it all, so if you have time, spend a couple of days here; it is well worth it. It would be neat to stay over so the city would be yours after the day trippers leave. There are many restaurants and other diversions to spend the time fruitfully.
On to Madrid – and more adventures!