Toledo 2011.01.15

Fogginess and photography rarely get along. It was partially disappointing for me when I went to Toledo yesterday. It was extremely foggy in the morning and we couldn’t see the city at all. My butt was freezing and it was 2 degrees Celsius. The trip was not that fun due to the language barrier. I don’t really understand why would ISA would organized an excursion and have the tour guide explain in Spanish. I know we are here to learn Spanish but it doesn’t make any sense especially when the entire group is from America.

We went into the monastery and a Jewish museum in Toledo. I felt that they were rushing to go through everything and it was not enjoyable at all. I was not able to take my time and admire the artifacts. Anyways, this is something about Toledo that I have found on Wikipedia:

Toledo is a municipality located in central Spain, 70 km south of Madrid. It is the capital of the province of Toledo. It is also the capital of autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 for its extensive cultural and monumental heritage as one of the former capitals of the Spanish Empire and place of coexistence of Christian, Jewish and Muslim cultures.

The old city is located on a mountaintop with a 150 degree view, surrounded on three sides by a bend in the Tagus River, and contains many historical sites, including the Alcázar, the cathedral (the primate church of Spain), and the Zocodover, a central market place.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo,_Spain

One thing interesting about Toledo is that there is a coexistence of three different culture and religion in one city. According to our guide, the Arabs built the wall that surrounds the city. Spain is an extremely religious country. Especially in the Spanish, a war erupted between the Muslims and the Christians it is amazing to find a city that house people of various cultures. This shows that coexistence between different religions and cultures could exist with only the sheer will of tolerance and understanding between human beings. When the sun finally showed itself, I could see the entire city. It is beautiful. I cannot describe with words the beauty of Toledo but you can always view my pictures on picasa.