Fantasy Toledo

When fantasy matches reality there is a sudden sense of convergence that can be dizzying and mystifying.  This feeling came over me on arriving in the ancient city of Toledo, often known as the city of three faiths.  In the thirteenth century Christians, Jews and Muslims lived and working together in relative harmony.   Toledeo looked exactly like I imaged it and it was easy to picture Cervantes or El Greco walking the same streets. The scent of olive groves outside the city mixed with traffic smells and cooking odors.

Taking an inter-city bus from Madrid for a day trip was inexpensive and easy.  Toledo is about an hour outside of Madrid.  Although it’s the beginning of March the temperature soared to seventy degrees fahrenheit  and the sky was what we call Carolina blue.  Maybe there’s an El Greco blue.  The city perches on a hill and was clearly chosen for it defensive position.  High walls bolster the natural defenses.  The city looks untouched from the middle ages.  The narrow cobblestone streets and three story houses built to the edges give the sense of walking through a dream.

The cathedral in the center of town is impressive as cathedrals are, but the two ancient synagogues were also.  The old Jewish quarter is marked with tiny tiles in blue and white with the hebrew letters for Chai.  The cathedral, in the gothic style is considered one of the best of this style, but it also incorporates some aspects of a mosque, which it was for a time during a Muslim conquest.

It’s a one mile hike uphill from the bus station to the central plaza in town.  So after that and an entire day of walking we were ready to head back to Madrid, our headquarters in central Spain.