Castilla - La Mancha - Toledo II.

During the rein of King Alfonzo IV the city allowed the coexistence of all three religions: Arab, Jewish and Christian. There are examples of all of them through the city.

The Cathedral of Toledo. We only had a few hours in the city so we didn’t go inside.

Cristo de la Luz Mosque

The Mosque of the Christ of the Light is a very old and curious building. It was built in 980 by a Moorish architect then later in the 12^th century it was remodelled to become a Christian church. 

It’s fascinating to see both religions represented inside the building.

The view from its walls also worth the entry fee.

The Puerta del Sol is a gate of Muslim origin. It got its name from its central decoration.

Did you know that the book that sold the most copies ever in Spain is a book by Cervantes? His main character, Don Quijote de la Mancha, comes from this region, as his name states (together with the famous Manchego cheese). We found his statue on the street.

It was too soon that we said good bye to Toledo. I would definitely recommend visiting it for a whole day, a few hours are just not enough to see half of what it has to offer. 

I’m ending my blog with a few street photos.

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.