The City of Toledo (in a very general nutshell)
On Saturday, January 16th, I learned so much
about the history of Toledo (even when I took notes, I couldn’t pick up every
detail and then when I looked back at the notes, I knew I was missing a ton)
through two ways: (1) A school group tour with professional guides in the
morning, and (2) Conversation with Javi at the café and in the car in the
afternoon. I wanted to share a little bit what I learned! Bear in mind, I was
not able to catch everything because everything was in Spanish, but here is
what I remember learning:
First of all, Toledo is not the capital of Spain (Madrid
is), but it is a very important city. It was especially important in the
centuries past during the wars. The influence of the Roman Empire, Muslims, Christians,
Jews, and Arabs is what makes the city what it is today. My tour guide
explained Toledo as the “religion capital of Spain.”
The river. A very important part of Toledo. First, it is
huge, and second, it supplies water to much of Spain.
An angel figure on top of the Universidad de Castilla-La
Mancha. This was the first university in Toledo, and it is a very important
part of the city – and the building is beautiful!
Plaza de Zocodover…notice the arches. This is the main plaza
in Toledo and it is where I get on and off the bus to go to school and return
home!
Cathedral de San Juan – the largest Catholic church in
Toledo. Toledo with their many churches and convents were thriving during the
times when King Ferdinand and his wife Isabella lived here in Toledo, but when
they moved to Madrid, so did everyone else. I believe Toledo used to be bigger
than Madrid until this happened. After this occurred and leading up to today,
churches and convents of Toledo started turning into museums and universities.
There are sooooo many old convents in Toledo. Many of them
have been turned into museums now. Here is one of many famous convents in
Toledo called Santo Domingo el Antiguo.
This is the coffee shop Javi and I sat at, and across the
way, you can see houses on the hill. Javi called them “cigarrales.” They are
where rich people moved to and bought lots of land to use for gardens. I didn’t
know exactly what those houses across the river were when I first got here, so
now I know a little bit more about them!
You can’t see it really well from this picture, but Toledo
has the largest hospital in all of Spain and Europe!
Toledo during the day (took this picture with my school
group), and Toledo during the night (took this picture with Carmen and Javi).
The highest point on the left is the Cathedral de San Juan. And the highest
building on the right is the Alcazar Public Library. There is a café on the top
floor where you can see the entire city, and I plan on visiting this very soon!
I’m sure I will keep learning more about this beautiful city
as I continue my stay here!
Until next time,
Sarah Hess
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