holy toledo!

we went to toledo on a day trip from madrid. it is only 20 min. by train and it is worth the ride. it has a very medieval feel to it, and features some really neat views and stops.

from the roman bridge you can see the old city, with a roman bridge leading to moorish towers protecting a catholic spanish city with the remains of a jewish society. so many cultures!

here is the bejeweled hilt of a dress sword belonging to a noble person. toledo is known for their steel and especially their well-crafted swords. i own one, but i have been having trouble getting it back to the states. in fact, when i bought the sword in toledo at age 19, i walked home from the bus station with it tucked into my belt like an "hidalgo". i was stopped by the police and escorted home.

one of the most moving stops in toledo was the sephardic jewish synagogue called "el tránsito". below you can see the walls of the great room. in fact, after the inquisition, the catholics transitioned the building into a church and then repurposed it for other things, until it was finally restored as a synagogue in a symbolic sense. because the changes that the catholics made were superficial, much of the jewish history remains.

in fact, by building the altar on top of the preexisting floor, the catholics preserved the pieces of tile shown below from the original synagogue... dating to the 1300s!

...and here is a parting view from toledo of the countryside.