Toledo

Toledo is an ancient town surrounded on three sides by a river. It used to be a Moorish strong point until taken over by the Christians in the eleventh century. It is one of the few places in Spain where three religions (Christian, Muslim, and Judaism) co-existed at the same time. Many of the Moorish masques still stand, but after Alfonso I took control in 1085, many were turned into Christan cathedrals. We visited three main sites, Cathedral of Toledo, Alcazar, and a Jewish Synagogue.
One of the first places we visited was the Cathedral of Toledo. The Cathedral is as large and intricate as you would imagine any Medieval Cathedral to be. Throughout the halls, there are large red hats dangling down from the ceiling. They hang over the burials of the bishops who have chosen to be buried there. The hats hang in the air until they rot away. Some of them looked pretty old.

We were able to attend a nine o'clock mass on Saturday. It was peaceful. I did not understand a lot, ok any, of the symbolism of the rituals they were doing, but knowing they were doing them in reverence and remembrance of their God was enough. They used inscents a lot, like the old testiment where the smoke carriers their prayers unto God in the heavens. It almost smelled like old men. The bishops there, sang, it was beautiful.

The streets are tiny crawl spaces between buildings. Somehow cars still manage to go through them, beware as a pedestrian, they do not yield. Every time we heard a car rumbling nearby, we learned to throw ourselves to the sides of the walls or rush into near by entryways. One of my friends actually did get car waked. Don't worry, she came out ok.

The Alcazar is a large, square like fortress. It was closed for remodeling so we were not able to view the inside, but even from the street, the size and outer architecture can not hide its greatness. The walls seem to leap to the sky, and even from the far-off view it stands well above anything else in the city. One of the things I liked the best were the architecture of the outside walls. Since it was built over a long period of time, each wall is designed with a different style. Even from a few miles off it is a significant difference. In modern times it has been used as a military academy, and apparently was besieged by the Republicans in the Civil War (1930's).
The actual layout of the city is a complete disaster. Apparently, the early designers of the city wanted to wind the streets in a maze-like manner to slow down any enemies who were trying to reach the castle. I'm pretty sure that they reached their goal. Besides being unnavigable, the streets are about as big as an over-sized sidewalk. Somehow cars still manage to go through them. As a pedestrian, beware, the cars do not yield. Every time we heard a car rumbling nearby, we learned to throw ourselves to the sides of the walls or rush into near by entryways.
Besides for its religious artifacts, Toledo is also known for many other things including swords, marzipan, and some weird type of jewelry which I can't remember the name of. Steel production has been its main economic source for centuries. There were sword shops everywhere with every type of sword you can dream of. Lord of the rings, El Cid, Zorro, Arabian. They dangled from the walls and the ceilings like mirrors reflecting in the light. We met one sword maker named, Mariano Zamorano. His family has been in the sword business for the last 125 years. He is the fifth generation to be called Mariano Zamorano. I think its to make their trade mark (a sword with MZ on the side) a little more lasting. He is teaching his niece to carry on the trade now. Mariano knew everything about swords you could think of, he even tried to compare the perfect sword with the perfect woman. “What do you think makes a perfect woman?” he askes. Personality? Looks? Intelligence? (I was trying to saver some respectability for the female race). "No, No." he says. "For a perfect woman she needs to be easy to move and to escort, flexible with tasks and obstacles, and balanced with a stable mind." Mariano continues then to pull out a sword, "Like a woman, a sword needs to be light," tosses it in the air. "Flexible." Sticks the point in the floor and bends the blade like a C. "and balanced." Placing the ¾ portion of the blade on his finger and he rises it perfectly in the air. Yes, we were all sold.
The Marzapan is a sweet soft bread like sweet. We all came to the same conclusion that it resembles a wet, sweet cookie dough. It wasn't amazing! But it was different than anything I have tried before, I would definitely recommend it for a treat.
The art, which I unfortunately don't remember was called is found everywhere as well. We were able to catch an artisan in action in his shop. He was working on a small medallion for a necklace. The medallion piece was fastened to a stand under a light. With a small fine thread of gold in hand, he would position the tip of the thread on the surface and softly pound it into the material. He worked quickly and before we knew it – he had molded an entire geometric like design into this small necklace piece. It was amazing.
This was one of the first sites we have visited on our trip. I am still trying to find ways to really connect and understand the cites we are seeing. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming to see and be surrounded by so much historical significance. You hardly know what to do to 'truly' take it in and appreciate it. I think that is one of the things I am most worried about, not appreciating the history or significance enough. With that aside, I do feel that I learned a lot with our visit to Toledo. It was helpful having the three groups give their presentations. It was great information to know and facts that I wouldn't have looked up by myself. Background information truly does add a deeper meaning to what you see. I think that for this next trip I am going to do a little research of my own before we leave, so maybe I'll be able to understand these next sites even better.