HOLY TOLEDO

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Taking the 30 minute AVE train without any stops made the day trip from Madrid to Toledo doable after over three weeks of travelling with exhaustion setting in!

Toledo, the spiritual and intellectual capital of Spain, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

By taxi, we drove past Puerta de Alcantara, the town's oldest bridge dating back to Roman times, as we headed from the train station to the walled town of Toledo, with Roman and Moorish architectural influences.

We started our self-guided tour of Toledo at the Alcazar, which is unfortunately closed for renovations, since it is at the highest point and it could only be downhill from there! It is perched on the top of a cliff with panoramic views and its architecture dominates the view of Toledo from below.

After wandering the narrow lanes of Toledo and doing some souvenir shopping, we wound our way to the Cathedral, which is one of the finest Gothic churches in Spain, where there was so much to see, we spent the better part of 2 hours marvelling at the architectural detail, wood and stone work, frescoes, and collection of paintings, including El Greco's work. After having visited one too many churches on our European travels, the Travelling Canucks were impressed!

We perused the main shopping street that winds around the Cathedral and down to the Plaza Mayor, where we grabbed a quick lunch. After a visit to the pastry shop to try yemas (sugared egg yolks), toledonadas (crumbly cookie) and marzipan, specialities of the Castille region, we continued down the hill to visit its ramparts.

Toledo made for a great day-trip from Madrid. We really enjoyed walking around picturesque Toledo. Toledo's train station was one of the prettiest train stations we have seen.

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