This morning we awoke to a friendly 7:15am wakeup call (less than 7 hours of sleep, and not even solid sleep… I’m not sure if it’s the excitement, the time zone change, or the cigarette smoke I’m constantly forced to inhale, but sleeping is not easy here… but that’s all part of the fun). We efficiently got ourselves together within a half-hour and headed downstairs for a brief breakfast. We had a train to catch! It was a very brisk 35 minute walk to the station but at least the streets were devoid of the nighttime crowds. Unlike New York, this is clearly a city that sleeps. The train station was ultra-modern and it was easy to find our departing platform; the train itself was unbelievably spacious and clean with much more legroom than our international flight. It was a new train (we witnessed the employees washing the headlights at the station) and the route itself, through the plains of La Mancha (“It is I, Don Quixote, the man of La Mancha…”) was a new high-speed line. Within 30 minutes we arrived at our destination, the ancient city of Toledo.
Toledo is situated on a hill surrounded by the Tajo River. Its position made it a transportation hub in Roman times with a huge Jewish population. It was conquered by the Visigoths when Rome fell and shortly thereafter conquered by the Moors. It was conquered by Christians around 1085. For centuries, these groups lived together relatively peacefully until the late 1300s. The Inquisition was not far behind. After that, the most famous resident was the painter El Greco. Today, Toledo is mainly a tourist town though it is known for its Marzipan confection made of almond paste (locally known as Mazapan) and the craftsmanship of swords and damascene inlaid gold.
From the Toledo train station, we took a quick bus into the busiest square in town, Plaza Zocodover. We wandered through many twisty cobblestone streets with ancient stone buildings. The highlight of Toledo, for me, was the Sinagoga del Transito, a synagogue built in 1361 at the height of Toledo’s enlightened tolerance constructed for Jews with Christian approval by Muslim craftsmen. Unfortunately the tolerance didn’t last long: in the 15th century one third of Spain’s Jews were killed, one third survived by converting to Christianity, and one third fled. The synagogue then became a Church but it is now restored as a museum. Hebrew carvings still adorn parts of the ceilings along with much of the original intricate handwork and the storage space for the Torah along the wall facing Jerusalem is still intact. It’s absolutely amazing.
They say in Toledo that all streets go uphill. It’s obviously a joke but when we got mildly lost walking from one side of town to the other, it sure seemed to be true. We were sustained by the Mazapan, though, which is unbelievably delicious. Anyway, the architecture is all so fascinating, no step in any direction is wrong.
Our train departed Toledo at 7:30 and arrived comfortably in Madrid by 8pm. A lovely dinner was had at a different café at Plaza Mayor and we were back at our hotel by 10. Another great day.
