21 November ’05, Monday.
Yesterday we traveled through the rice paddies, orange orchards and the grape and raisin vineyards from Valencia to Toledo, from the sea shore, then through the mountains and across the plateaus. The weather was overcast, but there were areas in the fields that looked like the sun was shining directly on them and their colors were absolutely beautiful. The soil was mostly a deep red, the leaves from the grape vines multi-colors, and the new crops showing the many colors of green. We had a wonderful show to travel through. I wasn’t looking forward to this crossing, but as all this passed by us, my attitude changed and what looked like more than a day’s drive only took us 6 hours. Fact is, after we set up camp in Toledo, we decided to take a walk into the “Old Town” and do a little exploring. The walk from the campground to the “Town Walls” took us 20 minutes at the most, and then it was the climb up the steep roads and steps into the town. Once we were there, the climb was all worth it. Toledo is another hill top town, but in this case, one that is larger than most…67,000 people with some of the largest calf muscles you have seen. They build these because of the hills and steps that they have to climb every day. This morning we put our walking shoes on again, and headed to the town one more time. We have heard and read so much about the Cathedral of Toledo (1226-1493), that we made this our first stop. Ric Steves was right when he said that this cathedral is “shoe-horned” into the town. It is very large, but as you look at it from the exterior, you are so close to it you lose the full scale of the structure. It’s when you move inside that you really get that “WOW” feeling. It’s not only the building that gives you that inspiring “wow”, it’s also the collections of paintings from the “masters” (Greco, Goya, Titian, Rubens, Velazquez, Michelangelo, and Bellini), the elaborate wrought iron work, wonderful wood carvings, and the stained glass windows from over 500 years ago. We walked into the cathedral about 10:30 and left just before 4…it was worth it to say the least. One other stop to see some awe inspiring art, and we were off to do some shopping. We walked across town to the Santo Tome chapel. Inside is Greco’s masterpiece…The Burial of the Count of Orgaz. I know, I had no idea what Greco had painted prior to coming on this trip, but this has really opened up a new appreciation for me. I’d heard of Michelangelo, Greco, Goya, and a few others, but I had only heard of them. At most, I had possibly had a chance to see one of their paintings or sculptures in pictures of magazines…now I’ve had a chance to even touch some of the originals (sculptures not paintings), let alone sit and study them for as much time as it takes. The “Walled City of Toledo” is one that we won’t forget. We had a ball, but now we head off to Madrid
Yesterday we traveled through the rice paddies, orange orchards and the grape and raisin vineyards from Valencia to Toledo, from the sea shore, then through the mountains and across the plateaus. The weather was overcast, but there were areas in the fields that looked like the sun was shining directly on them and their colors were absolutely beautiful. The soil was mostly a deep red, the leaves from the grape vines multi-colors, and the new crops showing the many colors of green. We had a wonderful show to travel through. I wasn’t looking forward to this crossing, but as all this passed by us, my attitude changed and what looked like more than a day’s drive only took us 6 hours. Fact is, after we set up camp in Toledo, we decided to take a walk into the “Old Town” and do a little exploring. The walk from the campground to the “Town Walls” took us 20 minutes at the most, and then it was the climb up the steep roads and steps into the town. Once we were there, the climb was all worth it. Toledo is another hill top town, but in this case, one that is larger than most…67,000 people with some of the largest calf muscles you have seen. They build these because of the hills and steps that they have to climb every day. This morning we put our walking shoes on again, and headed to the town one more time. We have heard and read so much about the Cathedral of Toledo (1226-1493), that we made this our first stop. Ric Steves was right when he said that this cathedral is “shoe-horned” into the town. It is very large, but as you look at it from the exterior, you are so close to it you lose the full scale of the structure. It’s when you move inside that you really get that “WOW” feeling. It’s not only the building that gives you that inspiring “wow”, it’s also the collections of paintings from the “masters” (Greco, Goya, Titian, Rubens, Velazquez, Michelangelo, and Bellini), the elaborate wrought iron work, wonderful wood carvings, and the stained glass windows from over 500 years ago. We walked into the cathedral about 10:30 and left just before 4…it was worth it to say the least. One other stop to see some awe inspiring art, and we were off to do some shopping. We walked across town to the Santo Tome chapel. Inside is Greco’s masterpiece…The Burial of the Count of Orgaz. I know, I had no idea what Greco had painted prior to coming on this trip, but this has really opened up a new appreciation for me. I’d heard of Michelangelo, Greco, Goya, and a few others, but I had only heard of them. At most, I had possibly had a chance to see one of their paintings or sculptures in pictures of magazines…now I’ve had a chance to even touch some of the originals (sculptures not paintings), let alone sit and study them for as much time as it takes. The “Walled City of Toledo” is one that we won’t forget. We had a ball, but now we head off to Madrid