During the
week we spent in Madrid Paul had to work every day but I was desperate to take
him on one of my trips. Eventually he managed to take a few hours off and one
afternoon we went to see another World Heritage sight, the Old Town of Toledo.
Even though
Toledo is 100km away from Madrid it’s very easy to get there. With the
superfast AVANT commuter train the journey is done in 33 minutes! And when you
get off at the train station you can’t take your eyes off the building. It was
made in Mujedar style (the mix of Arabic and Christian) and every bit of it is
lovely.
Our first
sights of the town.
There was
place I really wanted to see before closing time and it was the cloister of the
Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes.
This place was founded by Ferdinand and Isabella, by the monarch that gave
permission to Columbus to set sail to India. The cloister is particularly nice.
Even though the main style of the building is
Gothic, on the first floor there are Mujedar elements, too. Apparently this was
the place for the nobles, while the commons stayed on the ground floor.
There’s a
small garden in the middle where orange trees grow.
I’ve already
mentioned how I love gargoyles. The ones here are especially creative, even
Paul liked them.
The inside
of the church was also lavishly decorated.
The New Gate of Bisagra
This massive
gate was built by the Moors and is decorated with Toledo’s coat of arms.
Muralla de Toledo
The Old Town
of Toledo is surrounded by a wall that was originally built by the Romans but has
been renovated many times since then. It served to protect the town and during
peace times its gates were the only entry points inside.
I will continue the Toledo blog tomorrow.
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