Madrid and Toledo (14-17 July, 2014)

 

Centro Madrid is an architecturally beautiful Baroque city. The climate, squares and 'calles' (streets) lend themselves to alfresco dinning. Tripadvisor has reviews of circa 5500 cafe/restaurants. I think the number of shoe shops must be similar!

Our hotel was close to Sol square (see below) a major focus, and approx half way between the Royal Palace and the Prado gallery, which we visited first up! They are must does which I wrote up in Tripadvisor in Dec 2012.

It continued hot for our time in Madrid, reaching low 40's in the mid to late afternoon. People tend to eat late; after 8pm in Madrid.

Santa Ann square was a short distance from our Hotel, and like most similar areas was heavily used in the evenings. This restaurant where we enjoyed a fish meal had a children's playground just out of shot and included fine mist sprays in the canopy over our heads. Buskers and trinket salespersons wandered the area. In all, a most enjoyable evening!

 

We visited this absolute gem that we had not seen before; the royal convent of the barefoot nuns; Monasterios de las Descalzos Reales. I have posted a Tripadvisor review..... "Not far from "Sol" is this historic convent owned by the state but with 20 nuns in residence. Around the two level cloisters is a series of chapels with variety of messages, artistic styles, and geographic origins.

There are a number of true masterpieces although some have been relocated to the Prado. The tapestries woven to designs by Rubens particularly impressed me. There is a strong narrative of the (often forgotten) place of women in the church, although I think there is a stronger story of the interlinking of royalty, the church, the religious hierarchy, and money!"

Plaza Sol

 

Toledo

Toledo is dominated by Gothic architecture, and predates Madrid as capital. The cathedral is the premier site for the Catholic faith in Spain. The pre visit publicity pushed the message of the city where 3 religions lived side by side in harmony. Any they did for a number of centuries. The bigger picture is that for 8 centuries there were battles to displace the Muslems, leaving a minority without influence. The 'tolerance' period then begain, until the royal decrees issued in 1492 and 1501 ordering Jews and Muslims to convert or leave.

The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition, commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition then policed the conversions for a number of centuries; tolerance returning in the 20th century (although the Spanish Civil War and Franco era wasn't great for anyone).

This is the interior of the original Jewish synagogue from the 12 to 15 century era. The style is similar to a Muslim mosque. In the 16th C it was converted to a RC church, and it is now a museum. There is little visible history of the Jews remaining today.

 

 

El Greco;

1. born Doménikos Theotokópoulos, was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. The Disrobing of Christ is a painting begun in the summer of 1577 and completed in the spring of 1579 for the High Altar of the sacristy of the Cathedral of Toledo.
   

The view of Toledo from across the river is dominated by the Cathedral. The artistic wealth contained within the cathedral and the Cardinal's Palace next door are immense. The two are linked by an enclosed walk way (circa bridge of Sighs).