I’d mentioned yesterday my 4 reasons for visiting Toledo, and in the picture above, behind me is a statue of the man responsible for one of them.
Cervantes fans know that there is a Route of DQ (no, not Dairy Queen but Don Quixote) cutting through Toledo that marks the various points mentioned in the book:
I don’t have enough time here to follow the path, but I can’t wait to go back and re-read the book with the images of Toledo still fresh in my mind. The spirit of our beloved hero DQ is captured throughout the city:
But I’m actually looking for the Cathedral of Toledo (Catedral Primada Santa María de Toledo)…
because across from it is the Ayuntamiento, or town hall,
where I can get a city map from its tourist office (an ice skating rink has been set up here for the past holiday season). But before all of this can happen, let’s go grab some breakfast at a bar:
I pass on the churro and opt for a Spanish croissant (it’s not flaky like its French counterpart and feels much heavier) but I have the yummy zumo again:
Most of the streets here are tiny, and they curve around and around so that it feels like you are walking in a circle when you are not.
It’s not a big place so you really shouldn’t get lost, especially if you mark your bearings by the huge gothic cathedral:
This Catholic church broke ground in 1226 and, like many great cathedrals in Europe, saw continuous construction over centuries. It is well worth a visit, regardless of your faith, because no amount of photography (which isn’t allowed inside anyway) can capture the enormity of the work that went into building this place. The Toledo Cathedral is the second largest church in Spain but it is revered as the most important because Toledo has historically been the center of Spain’s catholic faith.
Tomorrow I’ll try to cover the other 3 reasons for loving Toledo.
Tags: Ayuntamiento, Catedral Primada Santa María de Toledo, Cathedral of Toledo, Cervantes, Don Quixote, Toledo
What a difference a day makes. Whereas it was pouring yesterday, the sun is brilliant this morning as I walk to the Atocha train station to catch my ride to Toledo:
You can buy tickets online well ahead of time as some routes do sell out quickly, especially during high season and if you do not get a pre-assigned seat, but at this moment the station is only mildly busy…
because most people have already caught the earlier trains. Me? This is as early as I can get there after a late night…
You could very easily take the bus to Toledo from Madrid, but depending on traffic that might take up to 1.5 hours. If you don’t get motion sickness, sometimes a bus ride is the best way to see a new city. On the incredibly efficient, highspeed AVE (Alta Velocidad Española) train system, which is RENFE’s (Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles) new network connecting Madrid to Seville and now Barcelona, however, you will get there in 30 minutes. The train, even in coach class, is extremely clean and comfortable. It costs at least twice as much to travel by train than bus but convenience always comes with a price.
Before I can finish deciphering an article in the local Spanish paper about fashion for the upcoming award season (I find it funny that I can’t escape Hollywood even here in Madrid), Toledo is already in sight:
I’ve wanted to visit Toledo for a very long time, for 3 reasons: El Greco, Don Quixote, and la convivencia. Well, OK, maybe 4 reasons: marzipan. More about food in another entry.
La convivencia refers to the co-existence of the Catholics, Jews, and Muslims in certain towns of Spain where religous tolerance yields to multicultural exchanges. Toledo, in its golden age when it was once the capital of Spain, epitomized this philosophy of acceptance, and its remaining beautiful architecture is a historical manifestation of such interplay of religions and cultures. This magical city high on a steep hill is truly one built for the ages.
As the passengers disembark, the Toledo Train Station–a stunning Neomudejar-style building–greets us in all its Moorish splendor. The tourists, myself included, are in a tizzy. Holy Toledo, Batman! This place is gorgeous!
But it’s the historic city center that I’m here to see, and it’s up the hill. There are doubledecker tourist buses that wait outside as the trains arrive but I’ve just missed them because I’m too busy taking pictures. But no worries, there are about 3 other city buses that I can take. Let’s meet there tomorrow:
Tags: Atocha train station, AVE, Don Quixote, El Greco, la convivencia, Madrid, Moorish, neomudejar, RENFE, Spain, Toledo, Toledo Train Station
