Castilla – La Mancha – Toledo I.

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.

Madrid – Park Retiro

This lovely park was made to be a garden for kings and queens to stroll in. It was built in the 17^th century for Felipe IV and was designed to hold visitor’s attention with lots of lovely and interesting details. 

During our visit the leaves of the chestnut trees had already begun turning red and brown therefore the park had lovely colours.

This is the only park where you can find palm, eucalyptus and chestnut trees right next to each other.

The park is full of wonders, such as the statue of the Ángel Caído, the Fallen Angel, Lucifer. This is one of the very few statues in the world that was erected for the Devil. Interestingly it´s exactly 666m above sea level…

There’s a lake in the middle with a massive monument at the end. You can hire a boat here, too.

The Palacio de Cristal was built after the Crystal Palace in London and used to be a greenhouse for exotic plants but nowadays it houses temporary exhibitions. When we were there it was empty. It’s a lovely sight with the little pond in front of it full of ducks and terrapins.

The Casita del Pescador used to be a fishing hut for the king. This cute little building houses one of the many Tourist Information points.

I stumbled upon the Rose Garden by accident and was very happy to see that even at the beginning of October many flowers were still blooming.

I even found a little library. The text says 'Bring the books you don't want from your home here for others to enjoy.'

The park is a place for many kinds of sport activities. You can observe a yoga lesson under the almond trees, Tai chi is practiced by elderly Chinese and runners and roller skaters will whizz around you constantly in the late afternoon hours. Young and old alike use the sport equipment placed in different sites in the park, some will be all kitted out with sport wear and some will be wearing shirts, trousers and hats. You never know what you’ll find.

In every corner there´s something interesting waiting for you, a bandstand, a statue or a pond. Have a stroll around and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of this gorgeous green area. Here’s the map of the garden.