Stately tourist town
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Toledo,
Spain
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Mayu and I got up nice and early to take advantage on what has turned out to be a gorgeous day. We had a train out of Madrid Atocha station at 9:20, which surprisingly took just a mere 30 minutes to reach its destination: the historic town of Toledo in neighboring Castilla-La Mancha. I'm almost positive it took considerably longer last time I was here, but evidently they now only run fast AVE trains between the two cities. That means somewhat pricey obligatory reservations (despite the Eurailpass), but it sure makes for a brief, cozy trip.
Toledo is definitely among Spain's more attractively-set cities. Situated on a steep hill practically surrounded by the Tajo River, it's ringed in by a dramatic landscape of forested mountains on the edge of a plain. Propped up in the middle of the scenic town is a regal castle, additionally decorated by the spires of numerous churches in the vicinity. The train station is a small trek outside of the old city, but it doesn't take long for the picturesque parts to start popping up. Sadly we had to do without a visit to the castle - it's apparently under restoration until 2008 at least. The enormous Gothic cathedral was open, however, and nearly overwhelming in scope. It's practically a museum in itself, what with all the El Grecos, Goyas, Carvaggios and so on in the back. Definitely a religious monument that demands some time (even if Mayu is starting to tire of churches . . . a common occurrence in European touring, understandably!).
We spent most of the rest of the day just wandering the picturesque old city, getting lost in its maze of streets. Apart from an old synagogue, we passed on visiting the interiors of the other churches, museums and such, instead focusing on the enjoyment of exploration. Somehow we managed to get in a couple stunning panoramas from completely separate ends of town. The second was one I was totally unaware of the previous visit, but it was obviously well-known to the locals; the approach was jam-packed with people, and the hilltop was one long line of food stalls, broken beer bottles and a picnicking revelers. Best of all, it offered an amazing panorama over the city, with the castle, main cathedral and the arc of the river around the hill all in perfect field of view. A lovely end to the day.
Now it's back to Madrid for a dinner of tapas and then preparations for tomorrow. In the morning, we're off again - to the celebrated city of Sevilla in Andalucía.
