Days 6 and 7  Holy Toledo!

What a place!  The walled part of Toledo is all one national monument  The only sense of the modern world is the few cars and buses that operate in the city and all the modern-looking people.  The small walled city sits atop a sizable hill with a river on three sides, and with these elements, the city was very defendable.  Over many centuries entry to the city has been through gates (or portals) such as this one:

It looks medieval and it almost feels medieval.  Shops sell daggers and swords hoping you are in the mood for ancient combat.  Most of the city walls are still very much intact, unusual for a European city after all the centuries of wars.

This city has a very interesting history.  When Europe plunged into the Dark Ages 1500 years ago after the fall of the Roman Empire, the Moors (Muslims) conquered much of Spain.  They ruled for several centuries and contributed their architectural design.  They lived peacefully with both Jews and Christians, especially in Toledo.  There was much respect among the religions, and the churches, mosques, and synagogues all thrived here.  My dad used to use the expression ‘HolyToledo’, and I always thought it had something to do with that other Toledo in Ohio. Not so . . . it was this one in Spain, a very holy city.  We were in Toledo on a Sunday, so I got to use the phrase a few times when I saw the long lines for some of the historic places like the cathedral.  The entry way is on the side, BTW.

The ancient walls and buildings are accompanied by ancient streets.  The cobble-stoned streets are a little hard on your feet if you walk for hours.

It seemed like the cathedral was visible from every narrow little street.

We realize that many of the larger towns and cities have an alcazar.  The one in Segovia has Disney-like features, while the one in Toledo is more Pentagon-like (Shari and Jan are across the street from it).

This city is so historic that you start to differentiate the old and the very old.  On one of our walks, we ran across this building.  There was no sign of life here, but I would have liked to have seen a plaque telling me how many dozens of centuries it had lived through.  

Like Segovia, Toledo gets two thumbs up from Shari and me as a place to see!