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68km (42 miles) SW of Madrid, 137km (85 miles) SE of Avila
Don't miss a trip to Toledo -- a place made special by its Arab, Jewish,
Christian, and even Roman and Visigothic elements. A national landmark,
the city that so inspired El Greco in the 16th century has remained
relatively unchanged. You can still stroll through streets barely wide
enough for a man and his donkey -- much less for an automobile.
Surrounded on three sides by a bend in the Tagus River, Toledo stands
atop a hill overlooking the arid plains of New Castile -- a natural
fortress in the center of the Iberian Peninsula. It was a logical choice
for the capital of Spain, though it lost its political status to Madrid
in the 1500s. Toledo has remained the country's religious center, as the
seat of the Primate of Spain.
If you're driving, the much-painted skyline of Toledo will come into
view about 6km (3 1/2 miles) from the city. When you cross the Tagus
River on the 14th-century Puente San Martín, the scene is reminiscent of
El Greco's moody, storm-threatened View of Toledo, which hangs in New
York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The artist reputedly painted that
view from a hillside that is now the site of Parador Nacional de Conde
Orgaz. If you arrive at the right time, you can enjoy an aperitif on the
parador's terrace and watch one of the famous violet sunsets of Toledo. |
