Wednesday in Toledo (Originally Posted 3/11/09)

So today we ventured into Toledo. Toledo is about 70km south of Madrid but with the high speed train we made it there in almost exactly 30 minutes!

Old Toledo sits up on top of hill and is encircled by a wall and the river Tagus. Toledo is known for several things but it is especially known for it's cutlery and swords made from Toledo steel. Toledo is a UNESCO Heritage site and it retains its feel of a medieval city due to its winding, narrow streets that seem to lead you to nowhere until all of a sudden, whatever it was you were looking for is sitting directly in front of you. There's a saying in Toledo that everywhere you need to get to is uphill and after today, I believe that statement is 100% correct! I'm friggin' exhausted and my poor aunt actually just sat and waited for me for the last hour as I tromped around getting lost trying to get good pictures before catching the train. I posted some pictures of the streets (which really aren't streets, they are more like single person alleyways that have street names...but they aren't streets, dammit) I took as I tried to find my way back to the Plaza we started from.

One of the "must-see" attractions in Toledo is the huge cathedral. This is the second largest cathedral in Europe and it was absolutely stunning!!! Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photos inside and it is next to impossible to describe just how beautiful this cathedral was. There was also Alcazar, a 1000 year old fort and the Holy Cross Museum (which we didn't get a chance to make it to) which houses several pieces of art by El Greco.

We only spent a few hours there but I feel like we walked a million miles as everything is a maze of sorts and alot of time is spent just trying to find your way from one point to the other (even with a map) but it was a worthy day trip from Madrid and I wish I had had the chance to spend even one night in Toledo. I'm posting my pictures as I write.