Today I went on a school "viaje" (trip) to Toledo, Spain. It was for my "Civilización y Cultura Española" class (Spanish Civilization and Culture), and we were joined by another class and extra students who just wanted to go to see Toledo (as all school trips are free to students).
We left Alcala on a Alcala bus at around 9:30 arriving in about 2 hours to Toledo. The first thing we did was go to a beautiful lookout point of the city to take pictures. I liked the city the first time I saw it. It just seemed so preserved in historic authenticity, untouched by the modern age. Toledo is known as the "Ciudad de Tres Culturas" (City of Three Cultures) as it was known, in history, to be a place where Christians, Muslims, and Jews coexisted peacefully.
After the lookout point, we went to the Moasterio San Juan de los Reyes (a monastery). It was a Franciscan monastery commissioned by Ferdinand and Isabel in commemoration of their victory in the Battle of Toro in 1476 over Portugal. My teacher explained that it is a mix of Gothic and "mudéjar" architecture. It wasn't overly ornate, but architecturally aesthetic.
Next, we went to the Sinagoga de Santa Maria la Blanca. It was a synagogue until 1492 when the Jews were expelled. It was then converted into a church in 1550. It was not very big or ornate either, but had very high ceilings, perhaps to encourage its congregation to look heaven-wards.
Then we went to the Iglesia de Santo Tome which had a famous work by El Greco (since Toledo was his home town): "Entiero del Conde de Orgaz", which was cool to see.
The last sight-seeing thing we did was go to the Catedral de Toledo. It was huge and VERY ornate. It was built between 1226 and 1498. It had stained glass, sculptures, paintings, gold, and mini museums inside. It is cool to be able to see large cathedrals in different countries and then to compare the styles.
For lunch I went on some side streets and bought some pastries that are typical to Toledo: Manzipan and Toledenas (?). They were both pretty good, not too sweet, but satisfying. (see pics below)
HIGHLIGHT OF TOLEDO: Seeing the historic city from afar and walking on cobbled streets the hold years of Spanish history.
1. Scenic View of Toledo
2. Moasterio San Juan de los Reyes
3. Court yard of the Monasterio
4. Sinagoga de Santa Maria la Blanca
5. Interior to the Sinagoga
6. Images of the Exterior of the Catedral de Toledo
7. Interior to the Catedral de Toledo
8. Manzapan
9. Toledano (?)
0 comments:
Post a Comment