Having spent a week in Madrid, I thought it would be nice to explore other cities in its vicinity. Visiting Toledo was a perfect day trip since it took only half an hour to get there by train from central Madrid. The trains run every hour from Puerta De Atocha in the Madrid Atocha Train Station. It is best to purchase round trip tickets in advance as they get quickly sold out.
I had high expectations of Toledo but was still pleasantly surprised by the beauty of its train station which looked like the interior of a small church.
When I arrived in Toledo around noon, it was cloudy despite the weather prognosis that it would be sunny all day, which made me a little grumpy.
Even in this gloomy weather, Toledo's ancient beauty could still be appreciated.
By the time I finished lunch and accepted the fact that it was a cloudy day (which was easy to do after a nice cup of cappuccino with soy milk and cinnamon) the clouds started disappearing, and the Sun further highlighted the beauty of Toledo. This immediately lifted my spirits and made the trip (and picture taking) more enjoyable!
The City of the Three Cultures
Toledo has more than 2000 years of history, and it is known as the "City of the Three Cultures" thanks to the cultural and historic influences of Christians, Muslims and Jews throughout centuries. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986.
One could particularly see the Jewish influence by the types of items sold in the stores (menorahs and the Star of David medallions), the signs pointing to synagogues, the Sephardic Museum, a statue dedicated to Samuel Ha-Levi, the treasurer of King Pedro I of Castile, and the signs in Hebrew on the winding roads in the Jewish quarter.
The Museum of El Greco
Across the street from the statue of Samuel Ha-Levi stands the Museum of El Greco.
The Cretian painter, known for his elongated figures and dramatic colors, moved to Toledo in 1577, and lived and worked there until his death in 1614. The museum consists of a 16th century house with a courtyard that was a recreation of the home of El Greco and an early 20th century building with a garden which had pomegranates, roses and small fountains.
I was pleasantly surprised by the museum fee which was three euros. The museum houses many works of El Greco from his late period, the works of his students and other artists who imitated his style.
I tried to differentiate between the works of El Greco and those of his imitators but it was quite hard, if not impossible, at least with the untrained eye.
In one of the halls hung paintings dedicated to Jesus and his apostles. All of them looked very thin and pale, and had elongated bodies, which was supposedly done to accentuate their gracefulness. Below is the painting of Jesus, followed by those of some of his (most attractive:)) apostles.
Although most of his paintings contained a Christian theme, the museum collection had a few portraits of important men and a landscape of Toledo, the latter being a very unusual work in El Greco's repertoire.
It was interesting to see the reconstruction of El Greco's house, with the courtyard, the kitchen, and even the toilet, as well as one of the books in his library.
The artist never quite achieved the level of fame he has now in his own lifetime. It took about 300 years for him to become well known in other parts of the world.
After the museum, it was high time to take a break in the shade with a glass of sangria while enjoying the sights.
Having had some rest, I wanted to explore the city further.
I was happy to see a cafe named Valinor, the home of the Valar, where resides Elbereth Gilthoniel or Varda or Elentari, the latter of which is an inspiration for my surname. I don't think that the Valar would eat pizza and other items on the menu which were more fit for mortals than for gods:).
The Sun was setting and it was time to head back to the station for the trip back to Madrid. As I was taking one last look at the city, I felt grateful for having this amazing opportunity to explore yet another one of many gems of Spain.
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