Toledo

29-30 January 2024

We had a great overnight trip overall to Toledo, though our initial impression was clouded by the crowds and the tacky tourist industry that dominates the town. I knew about the armor and the swords, but I wasn’t prepared for how almost every other store was selling medieval weaponry. They had silver swords of the highest value, tiny replica “swords from novels,” and wooden swords for little boys (you could get them personalized with name). Several stores had picked up on the Lord of the Rings and featured Middle Earth swords. Full armor on display in every other store. They had maces and clubs and guns and knives. We thought we saw Walt from Breaking Bad in one window.

Another trendy item was marzipan. I fell for the nun thing and expecting shortbread and was burdened with a super sugary little marzipan cake. Finally, Cervantes and Don Quixote facsimiles were apparent in the hundreds. We were in La Mancha, after all.

But, all this ticky-tack was set in a city of undeniable historical and cultural value. It’s a walled town that goes back to 4^th century BCE: Visigoths, Etruscans, Romans, Arabs, Jews and Catholics. The latter seem to have won out, as the cathedral clearly dominates the town today. Despite the global presence of tour groups, it felt like a traditional place, solidly founded in its history of peace, war and religion. Historically, Muslims, Jews and Christians coexisted peacefully until a pandemic came along and the Inquisition established Christian dominance.

The Toledo train station is remarkable. It reminded me of Valencia. They spared no expense with the tiling and design details. I spent enough time taking photos that we missed the first phalange of taxis and waited with other stragglers in the bright sun.

After a few minutes a taxi arrived and drove us to our hotel. We’d made reservations at the Hotel Santa Isabel. We splurged for a “room with a view” and were given a bottle of wine with bonbons along with breakfast. It cost $82.00. The hotel also had an amazing terrace where you can take in the cityscape at night.

We had a couple of hours before check-in and no luggage, so we took time to do some sightseeing and get lunch. I’d marked a bar/restaurant as a possibility that was near the hotel. It was pretty classic. Families out for their Sunday meal. Macho in the air. One wall featured photos of Matadors, and another of their ladies. Very traditional.

Kitty had a run-in with the waiter when she grabbed him to get his attention: he told her “First of all, do not touch me!” and solicited an apology before taking our order. After lunch, we checked into the hotel and then wandered the town until the hordes got the better of us and we retreated early to our very nice room. Really the views from there and the terrace were enough to satisfy me.

That next morning we were treated to a full continental breakfast and then set out to explore the town without the crowds. What a difference! We headed for several spots I’d marked on our maps for photos, including a view of the River Tagus that surrounds the city and the Jewish Quarter. For some reason, we are content to stay outside the major churches, synagogues, mosques and museums. I made an exception for Santo Tome to see El Greco’s “The Burial of the Count of Orgaz.”

We found a great place for our early lunch/Spanish late breakfast at Él Trebol, just off the main square before heading off to find bus #12 for our budget tour of the town (credit to Rick Steves for both of these ideas). We’d basically covered the town on foot, but the bus ride took us farther and was great fun. We’d expected to be let off where we got on, but found ourselves on Calle St. Sebastian and eventually on a trail (Ruta de Don Quixote) that took us back around to the train station after a lovely two hour hike along the River Tagus. I love touring cities and towns, but this unplanned walk by the river with birds & flowers was a highlight. Despite our urban affectations, we are clearly country at heart.