Spanish Vacation Part 2 - Toledo

Thursday, December 6th, 2007

Filed Under Travel 

Toledo is a medieval city in central Spain, an hour South of Madrid. This used to be the capital of Spain before Madrid, and there is so much history to this beautiful city, it is definitely worth a visit. We did a day trip from Madrid, but if you want to do this right, you might want to stay overnight and see the city by the night.

Toledo’s history is an interesting mix of Christian, Moorish and Jewish heritages and is lined with renaissance churches, synagogues and mosques.  The entire city looks like a set for a medieval Hollywood movie, with its historic walls and unbelievably narrow cobbled streets. The streets are so hilly and twisted, but with a great pair of walking shoes and a good map, it is so much fun to explore the city by foot.

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Catedral De Toledo - Toledo’s most famous attraction is the Cathedral. Spain’s leading Catholic church has the most rich and fabulous interior, one can get lost in the splendid decor and the decorative carvings and sculptures.

Cathedral

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Alcazar, the former imperial residence on the hill is hard to miss, it is currently closed for renovation.

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Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes is a gorgeous Gothic monastery commemorating Spain’s victory over Portugal.

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The entire city has been declared a national monument, the history is so well preserved and the Government has forbidden any modern exterior construction. But there is still a Mc Donald’s in the middle of Plaza de Zocodover, the central square of Toledo. They were allowed after much controversy to just display one tiny golden arch.

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I know it is the food post that everyone wants to read, but I have so many food pictures from the trip, it is going to take a while to sort through those and to get to that post.



Comments

25 Responses to “Spanish Vacation Part 2 - Toledo”

  1. Mishmash! on December 6th, 2007 6:46 pm

    WOW ! Splendid!!
    Now looking forward to your food essay :)

  2. musy on December 6th, 2007 7:23 pm

    Hey, great pictures, Sig! The trip must have been lots of fun! Are you back? It must be very cold in Seattle right now, isn’t it? Stay warm and enjoy the weekend.

  3. Jyothsna on December 6th, 2007 9:36 pm

    Sig, the third pic reminds me of Lucerne… Hope you’re having a great time there!

  4. divya and chaya on December 7th, 2007 12:34 am

    Great pics!! A nice holiday treat for us(:-)

  5. jayan on December 7th, 2007 12:53 am

    wonderful pics sig. :(Yes):

  6. VegeYum @ A Life (Time) of Cooking on December 7th, 2007 1:43 am

    Wish I was there….

  7. Padmaja on December 7th, 2007 2:51 am

    Incredible cathedral Sig!! fantastic snaps dear, no need to ask how u have been enjoying? I can see you relaxed n glowing!!!!!

  8. Rachna on December 7th, 2007 6:01 am

    no worries…. show us all the pics… we are loving all of them….

  9. Anita on December 7th, 2007 6:57 am

    Oh, I am so envious…the sights! And the food you must have had! “..so many pictures” - yeah, rub it in.

    :D Waiting eagerly to catch a glimpse of the culinary part.

  10. Happy Cook on December 7th, 2007 7:18 am

    Yeah me too looking forward to your foddie post frm the trip, i am sure it is going to be a very intresting read :(Martini): :(Beer): :(coffee):

  11. Rajitha on December 7th, 2007 7:59 am

    oh please..all these photos are lovely..i am having fun seeing pics of places …coz the food i know will be (cought)scary (cough)… :mrgreen:…keep making us green girl :mad:

  12. Ashwini on December 7th, 2007 9:22 am

    Such lovely architecture. That’s one thing all European cities have in common dont they? Besides churches, town halls etc even random buildings are just beautiful. Loved reading about your trip. Cant wait to see the paella photos :-D

  13. sandeepa on December 7th, 2007 10:01 am

    Loved those pics….very nicely photographed and you look very happening in those streets there

  14. sunita on December 7th, 2007 3:23 pm

    Lovely pictures…you do seem to be having a great time :cool: …enjoy and come back with renewed vigour :smile:

  15. Pravs on December 7th, 2007 5:16 pm

    So nice pictures.looking at the pictures, i am lost in them and feel i am in spain too !! :grin:

  16. Cynthia on December 7th, 2007 6:24 pm

    Not everyone :wink: I want to see more pics of the place and to hear you talk about them :grin:

  17. rachel on December 9th, 2007 7:04 pm

    great pics!Awaiting the food pics to drool over! :drool:

  18. Shantanu on December 10th, 2007 2:27 am

    Great pics, especially the first one. And nice overcoat too :smile:

  19. sra on December 10th, 2007 5:36 am

    Yoohoo! I just came back from a week’s vacation this afternoon - you and your pics look good. Will put up my own posts slowly!

  20. Mansi on December 10th, 2007 3:06 pm

    Hey Sig! that looks very majestic! can’t wait to visit it myself!! nice to know you had time for fun and relaxation, and a lot of shopping too, I hope!!

    waiting for you to get back home!

  21. Roger on December 10th, 2007 5:11 pm

    I hope you are planning to visit Sevilla. The Triana neighborhood has some great tapas and pastries.

    Do you know what this is?

    http://soulcocina.blogspot.com/2007/12/whats-this.html

    I thought you might be able to help me identify this unique Indian fruit.

    Thanks for your help.

    I enjoy your blog.

    Roger

  22. Siri on December 10th, 2007 6:23 pm

    Awesome Photos :smile: ..:D..

    ~ Siri :(Flower):

  23. Mythili on December 12th, 2007 5:21 pm

    Wonderful!!! You sold me on Spain!!! :(Yes):

    Loved every bit of the narration and the city.

    Cheers,
    Mythili

  24. sig on December 13th, 2007 12:56 am

    Thank you all… Sorry I haven’t been replying to individual comments, its been a little hectic lately… but you know how much I appreciate your comments… :)

  25. nataly on April 15th, 2008 4:22 pm

    great pics!!! and info too. :(Yes): :(Yes):

    it must had been awsome to be there! right? :grin: :party:

    looking forward to the foods. :neutral:

    but the rest was great dont worry :cool: be cool.

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