Medieval Maze

This weekend we took a day trip to Toledo. A half hour outside of Madrid, this city was the previous capital of Spain. The River Tajo that surrounds Toledo on three sides made it a sought after defensive site and thus a central location for each of the peoples that conquered Spain. The result is a unique combination of art and architecture influences from the Arabs, Jews, and Christians.

We went to the famous Holy Church Cathedral in Toledo. Beyond impressive. There is not one inch of this massive building that is not embellished with decoration. The tiniest stone in a corner still had a carving or gold design. I am not usually a fan of looking at cathedrals, but this was overwhelmingly intricate. I didn’t even know how to take it all in.

After our next stop to admire some well-known El Greco pieces we discovered two of the other things we had come to see were closed.

Since our return train tickets weren't until much later, we spent the rest of the time wandering. I can’t describe this city except that it was like stepping onto the set of “A Kid in King Arthur’s Court” (yes, I did just reference that movie). I would not have been surprised had a horse drawn carriage rolled down the street next to us. And a bucket of sewage being dumped from the window of one of the stone buildings would have seemed perfectly appropriate. We got lost in cobble stone streets and stumbled into churches with iron gates and buildings with castle pillars.

Mudejar style arch.

Saturday was another reminder that going through the maze of a new place is worth just as much if not more than checking off a list a "must-see" sights.