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HOW TO GET |
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TO GET AROUND |
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WHERE TO STAY |
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PLACES OF INTEREST |
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ROUTES AROUND THE CITY |
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SURROUNDINGS |
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FESTIVALS |
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CULTURAL EVENTS |
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NIGHTLIFE |
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RESTAURANTS |
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SHOPPING |
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THE CITY FOR CHILDREN |
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 Dear
Friends, Bienvenidos a Toledo!
TOLEDO, THE CROSSROADS OF CULTURES
The age-old city of Toledo, and the sights to be seen there, are
clearly marked by the confluence of three different cultures:
Toledo's is the unique personality corresponding to a town in
which three monotheistic cultures have lived side by side:
Christian, Arab and Hebrew. Almost all Toledo's important
buildings are religious in character; around every corner the
visitor will stumble upon churches, monasteries, hermitages or
religious schools corresponding in their origins to one of the
three aforementioned cultures.
Puerta de Bisagra, the entrance to Toledo.
Since these buildings are scattered throughout the whole maze of
its narrow, higgledy-piggledy streets, there are various ways of
wandering around and chancing upon this evidence of its glorious
past. We are going to lay down here a basic itinerary to take in
the outstanding spots and give as complete an overview as
possible, brief though it may be, of the city with his
historical centre, clearly marked out by a looping gorge of the
river Tagus and the walls of the city, it would be just as well
to take a stroll around the ring road that runs along the
opposite bank of the Tagus for a first, panoramic view of its
origin and subsequent development.
Panoramic view from the river Tagus.
THE CHARM AND SPIRIT OF TOLEDO
Quiet, secluded squares, sturdy mansions, a tangle of
steep, narrow streets forming a veritable maze. In the doorways,
many coats of arms and crests: quiet, age-old suburbs. A
multitude of buildings and, as the hub of everyday life, the
open Plaza de Zocodover. A good deal of Toledo's attraction
resides in its miraculous urban layout, in which the ruins of
the old Jewish area add their dash of magic.It smacks at once of fortitude, hauteur, melancholy, plenitude
and mysticism.
Plaza de Zocodover
Redolent of broom and incense, just
as it was painted by El Greco. Cervantes put his finger on the
spirit of this symbolic city. That "winsome outcrop, glory of
Spain and light of its cities" is the most exact, eternal
definition.
Toledo hoards echoes from Spain's glorious past, ranging from
the artful wiles of "La Celestina", through the magic feats of
the Marquis of Vallena, the grandeur of King Alfonso X the Wise
to the doctrinal arguments of Juan Manuel.
The Burial of the Count of Orgaz (El Greco).
Its silent corners still seem to ring with the echoes of all the
public figures that have laid the foundations of its amorous,
heroic, knightly legend. Past and present in a timeless
eternity.
Dr. Risco
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