Toledo, solar hispano, crisol de la raza íberica. Dichoso aquel que naciera español y toledano. Miguel de Cervantes
On our recent trip to Europe we spent some days in Madrid, while we were there we took a day trip to Toledo.
Just outside Madrid lies Spain's former capital, the historic city of Toledo. This medieval hilltop town is a witness of Spain's captivating past. The buildings and streets contained within the old city walls hold hundreds of years of history.
Toledo is like a step back in time. The city was conquered by the Romans, then became the capital of the Visigothic Kingdom then was taken over by the Moors occupation and the Reconquest. It was the capital of Spain empire until the 16th century. Its 2,000 years of history makes the city a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
During it's splendor, the city maintained an amicable cohabitation of Catholics, Jews and Muslims, it's nickname is the "The city of the three cultures". The combination of styles an cultures which resulted from this period in history left a rich cultural and architectural heritage, one of the city's unique characteristics. Today we can admire the remains of cathedrals, mosques, churches and synagogues.
Art and religion come together at the famous Cathedral of Toledo. Among the gothic architecture were masterpiece by El Greco, Goya and more. We also visited the Alcazar de Toledo, which is a military museum "Museo del Ejército".
One of my favorite of the city was the train station. When we arrived we had our first taste of Moorish inspire architecture: a brick facade, a tiled interior and a wood carved ticket counter. It was the set of "El tiempo entre costuras", as a recreation of Tetuán, Morocco.
Toledo is famous for its marzipan. The most famous bakery making this sweet in all Spain is Confitería Santo Tomé. I've never been a marzipan person but it was delicious. I also suggest to try the manchego cheese, a cheese made from the milk of sheep in the La Mancha region.
