What a beautiful city! Toledo is known for the melding of the cultural influences of Christians, Muslims, and Jews, and those influences were evident everywhere we went. The views of the city were spectacular, and the day was not too chilly, so the walk from the bus up to the town square with our local guide, Carlos, was enjoyable. Carlos was very entertaining and made the walk very interesting.

We strolled over The Puente de San Martin, (St Martin’s Bridge) which features five arches. Only very few bridges in the world were that long at the time of its construction in the Middle Ages. The bridge has been rebuilt almost in its entirety, with two end towers, which gives the bridge a strong structure. In 1921 it was declared a National Monument. The bridge crosses over the river Tagus, which river on the Iberian peninsula. We will no doubt see the river again when we arrive in Lisbon, Portugal, because it flows 626 miles from mid-eastern Spain and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon.

Little shops and restaurants line the cobblestone streets, and the unique architecture, doors, and windows of the buildings were beautiful to see.

The monastery of St. John of the Monarchs was one of our first stops. It was founded by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to commemorate the birth of their son. It was also built to be their final resting place, but they ultimately did not get buried there, but rather in Granada. The church itself is notable for its decoration of the coats of arms of the Catholic Monarchs, which were featured on both sides of the monastery with an eagle holding the coats of arms.

We walked through the Jewish Quarter which is entered via a gate. The streets are mazes and it is easy to become lost in them. We visited the Synagogue of Santa Maria which was built in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century, and is considered the oldest synagogue building in Europe that is still standing. The building was converted to a Catholic church in the early 15th century, but there is a small Star of David carved into the wall inside the building, which is still present.

Toledo has a long history in the production of blade weapons, which are now common souvenirs of the city and many shops along our walk were selling them.

After the walk, we said goodbye to Carlos, and met at the Plaza De Zocodover with many shops and restaurants surrounding it.

Our guide escorted us for lunch to a restaurant that served pinchos. This was a fun experience. All of the offerings were lined up on the counter, skewered with a toothpick in each one. I chose avocado on a hearty slice of bread, a sandwich of jamon with cheese, and on Jaunjo’s recommendation, a pork and paprika dish. Everything was delicious. You don’t pay until you’ve finished your meal and then you take your empty plate to the cashier and the cashier counts the toothpicks on your plate and that’s what you pay. What a fabulous idea.

We then found a marzipan shop and bought some candies and then it was time to get back on the bus for the long drive to Granada.

The bus ride took us through beautiful scenery with rows and rows of olive trees as far as the eye could see. Spain produces about half the world’s total olive oil, making it the world’s leading olive oil producer and exporter.

During the bus ride our guide gave us a taste of marzipan and played some Spanish classical music tapes as well as some Spanish favorites and we all took a little siesta.

We stopped at a cafeteria after about two hours into our ride and our guide arranged for us to sample manchego cheeses and crackers which was a nice surprise. The cheese was delicious.

Right before we arrived in Granada, I spotted a huge rainbow that arched across the sky…hopefully foretelling good luck for our trip.

We checked into our room and then made our way to the buffet for dinner with the group. It was a wonderful day and we’re looking forward to tomorrow touring Granada. The author Washington Irving was enthralled with Granada andI the Alambra and wrote the novel “Tales of the Alambra” which I’m going to look forward to reading.

The gate to the Jewish Quarter

The monastery of St. John of the Monarchs

Synagogue of Santa Maria

The star of David

Toledo, Ohio is the sister city to Toledo

Our guide with manchego cheeses