When our friend heard that we bought plane tickets to Madrid, the first thing he asked us was: "How many days were we planning to stay".
When we told him:"5 days", he immediately recommended a visit to one of the two nearby cities: Segovia or Toledo.
We looked up a bit more details about these two cities on the internet and decided it would be Toledo, the former capital of the Iberian Peninsula.
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We took the metro line to the Madrid Bus station (the interesting thing about the bus station is that it is located underground, on several levels, intersecting with the metro and train lines).
We bought tickets and headed south from Madrid to Toledo, 80 km away.
Roman Toletum, Moorish Tolaitola and Spanish Toledo, is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain, whose old town is located on a hill above the Taho River, surrounded by medieval walls.
For centuries, Moors and Jews lived together in this area, and the Spanish, after conquering the city, took over some of the culture and customs they found.
Considering the three religions and peoples who lived in Toledo, it is a combination of three cultures, which can be clearly seen in the architecture of the buildings, but also in the presence of places of worship of all three faiths.
There is also a cathedral, a synagogue and a mosque.
A long time ago, the Moors planted almonds in this area, from which they made marzipan, so the Spanish continued this tradition. That's why you can see shops selling marzipan at every corner in the city (and you can also take a look at the shops where it is made).
Getting off the bus, we walked to one of the gates of the old city (a 15 minute uphill walk is not a challenge given the excitement of visiting a new city).
We entered the city and the first thing we found were the very narrow streets of the old town.
They are so narrow that in some streets it is not possible to pass by car.
Cars may not be able to get through, but a large number of tourists can.
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Passing by the largest building in Toledo, the Alcázar de Toledo, we saw parked vehocle leading to a panoramic tour of the city.
We decided to go for a drive right away, in order to get an impression of the size of this fortified city.
At some point, the vecocle goes outside the walls of the old city, when we have the opportunity to get to know the beauties of Toledo in the best possible way.
The vehicle takes us to the location, from which there is a fantastic view of Toledo and the Taho River.
We take photos and drive back to the center of Toledo, to one of the largest squares of Toledo: Train Vision.
From there, we continue on foot, admiring the beautiful architecture of the buildings, their facades and balconies and the shops located on the ground floor of them, all while passing through very narrow streets.
Toledo has a lot of shops with old weapons, knives, swords, armor, and there is also a "Lord of the Rings" themed shop.
In a small shop we bought marzipan, which we snacked on while walking around town.
We visit some of the largest religious buildings.
The great cathedral
Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada de Toledo, as well as
Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes.
We take pictures in front of them, but unlike some tyrists, we avoid taking pictures like this.
But that's why we made one like this
In the Jewish quarter, we visit three synagogues: Sinagoga de Santa María La Blanca, Restos Arqueológicos Sinagoga del Sofer and Sinagoga del Tránsito.
In one of them (Transito), there is a permanent exhibition of the history and life of the Jews in this city.
After visiting all the localities that we could reach during the day trip, we also reached the walls, which offer a beautiful view of the surroundings of Toledo.
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There were many more beautiful photos that day, I will add them here, because each one deserves to be there, even if it is not explained what it refers to. Maybe one of my friends from Spain can add his comment, description or experience?
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Thank you for stopping by my post and I hope you enjoyed the photos and the story I shared with you
All photos are my property, taken with a mobile phone