Un día en Toledo

Me in front of Toledo (a picture pretty much everyone takes
when they come here). That is the Tagus river—in my opinion
it looks like the river is scooping up the city.
Shirt/jacket count: 4

Last summer, I took a Spanish class to brush up on some language skills and my instructor told me, "If you have one day in Spain, you spend all of it in Toledo." After traversing the pastoral hills surrounding the city, I realized why she made this strong suggestion. Toledo in many ways brings together everything a visitor expects in Spain. A panorama of Toledo shows the Alcázar (castle) of the city, and the Cathedral—both presiding over a dreamlike city riddled with narrow alleys and cobblestone paths. In more ways than one, Toledo signifies a coming together. For one, Toledo has been heralded as "the city of three cultures" for its history as a city open to Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. On the paths, our group saw markers along the street to identify the type of district (e.g. a menorah for a Jewish district). Also, Toledo marks the coming together of everything one anticipates in their Spanish experience, namely strong reverence for history, pastoral views of the countryside, and relics from the past.

Orange tree in the cloister garden at Monasterio de
San Juan de los Reyes.

First, we walked over the San Martín Bridge and passed through a tower into the city to see the Monastery of Saint John of the Kings (Monasterio San Juan de los Reyes). The church's cloister has a garden and the lighting was exceptional—casting a reddish glow into the courtyard area. After walking through the cloister and the church, we moved onward to Santa María la Blanca nestled close to the monastery. The synagogue physically represents the collaborative aspect of Toledo's history as it came from Islamic architects for use by a Jewish congregation and, arguably, this is the oldest synagogue building in EUROPE still standing. Built by Muslims, occupied by Jews, and now preserved by the Catholic Church, this building stood out to me as a symbol of religion bringing about openness and friendliness rather than inter-religious conflict.

El Entierro del Conde de Orgaz

Finally, we were able to marvel at my favorite piece of Spanish art: El entierro del Conde de Orgaz by El Greco. The 16th century painting shows a mix between the celestial and the terrestrial and shows the terrific beauty of a noble death—with saints assisting the burial (according to the legend). I personally enjoy the detail of the painting and the speculation surrounding his works—in this case about what he meant by inserting himself into the painting (see the seventh man in from the left of the frame directly above the open hand). Being

among a handful of people physically present and simply thinking about the number of people that have studied this extremely elaborate painting made the experience all the more awe-inspiring.

My lunch on Plaza Zocodover—croissant with jamón Íberico!

After our tour ended, we took a walk to the main square in Toledo and perused shops with collections of swords, glass work, plates, and tiles. Then, we approached Plaza Zocodover and as the group dispersed a few of us chose to eat a casual lunch right on the plaza. As I observed the many Spanish families seizing the opportunity to enjoy some time in the sun, I began to realize how Spaniards live in the moment and make concerted efforts to stay active.

Catedral Primada Santa María de Toledo is of a
13th century Gothic style. Many postcards
show off this tower.

Through the bus window as we left the diminishing Toledo behind and set a course for Salamanca, I felt glad to have spent one of my first days in Spain in one of its most precious cities—one I hope to revisit soon. Filled with nervous excitement, it was then time to move on and meet my host family and settle into my temporary home away from home.