Monday April 15, 2019

Breakfast is Served

We sleep in today which for us is 0815. We head down for the included breakfast which is served. It included a small yogurt starter, excellent fresh squeezed orange juice, a giant croissant(or fruit), jamon and tomatoe on a large type of Texas toast, and a cafe con leche. It is a very nice start to our day. We head for a very short walk to the Toledo Cathedral. After seeing lines a block long to get into the cathedral yesterday, we arrive there at 0945, 15 minutes before opening and are the first ones there. The line does not get very long before opening at 1000, so yesterday was probably because it was Palm Sunday. We buy our tickets, get the included audio guide and cross the street to enter the Cathedral.

Giant St Christopher

Holy Toledo, its size and beauty immediately captivates us. The cathedral is mainly Gothic construction beginning in 1226. Since it took almost 270 years to build, it also has some Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical elements in it. The over 500 year old stained glass still is vivid with colors. There are side of chapels purchase by the wealthy with secret entrances in front of them that descends below each side chapel so they could be buried there. There are painting by El Greco and other famous artists. We start our tour with a giant fresco of St Christopher on a side wall. Then on to the high altar which used real gold on wood, a great example of gothic art.

Virgen Blanca

The choir is opposite the altar. The 13th Century Virgen Blanca or White Madonna is thought to be a gift from The French King to Spain. The arch bishops throne in the back shows a Visogothic miracle when Mary came down to give the bishop the holy robe making Toledo the spiritual capital of Spain. This is why Toledo was the first city taken back from the Moors during the Reconquista in 1085. The last city they retook was Granada over 400 years later in 1492. The lower wooden stalls show the recapture city by city of the Reconquista. The upper stalls feature Old Testament figures and scenes. There are two pipe organs one 14th Century Baroque, the other 18th Century neoclassical.

Deposition, Pieta, Resurrection

We continue on and enter the Chapter House. This front wall has paintings of Christ being taken off the cross, a Pieta, and a resurrection. The back wall has a last judgement painting which shows the seven deadly sins on it. I will name them for you. Arrogance, Avarice, Lust, Anger, Gluttony, Envy, and Laziness.

Last Judgement

This was meant to show the illiterate why they should be pious and support the church. There is also rows of portraits of Toledo Archbishops dating back over 1900 years. Amazing history of the cathedral. Next, we come to a very unique feature of this cathedral. In the 1700’s, a hole was cut into the ceiling to let light brighten the mass. The opening faces east so you can be reminded each morning that God is light.

We are Watching You

Blending this opening into the cathedral created a Baroque masterpiece with angels, cherubs, and others carved out of Italian marble bursting with motion and energy. We see two red hats hanging down from the ceiling, placed there as a perk by two long dead cardinals to mark their burial place in the cathedral.

Christ Being Stripped by El Greco

The cathedrals sacristy is another incredible space. The ceiling fresco was painted by a Neopolitan artist named Lucca Giordano around 1690. The room contains works by El Greco, Francisco de Goya, Titian, Valasquez, And Carravaggio. El Grecos The Spoliation (Christ being stripped of his garments) is his first masterpiece after arriving in Toledo. We exit the Sacristy into the cloister and then into the Treasury. There is a10 foot tall, 430 pound Monstrance designed to hold the Holy Communion during the festival of Corpus Christi as it was paraded through the city.

It is Big

It was built in 1517 and contains 5,000 pieces held together by 12,500 screws. There are diamonds, emeralds rubies, and 400 pounds of gold plated silver. The older inner part is 35 Pounds of solid gold. Quite the spectacle. We go to the back of the Cathedral and get to take in its immensity and beauty. We can see the Queens box high on one side where she sat high above the mass being given. We spent two and a half hours in here and it was worth every minute. The audioguide was very well presented and definitely enhanced our visit.
We return to our hotel but the maid is cleaning our room and says she will be done in 10 minutes. We go outside to see if the church next door is open. We walk in an entrance that looks like it is for a convent and a man with three people following him says that is just to buy sweets and to follow him.

Carols Memory of Spain

We join the small parade and end up in an artisanal handmade jewelry place. The other people are from Florida. The son is living near Madrid and speaks Spanish which helps us understand the process as he translates everything for us, his sites, and his mother. We then end up in a shop of course where they show us some beautiful hand made items. Carol really likes one and I try and get the price down a little but they say no. The kid tells us he says that if he went any lower there would be nothing left for him to make. I do, the I am a great husband thing, and buy the medallion for my wife. While we are talking, we get some great tips for Madrid from Steven (the son) we just met. A nice bonus and Carol is smiling over her new bling.

Sepia

We go back to the hotel and then decide to eat lunch. We find Taberna Embrujo and get a table inside. The waiter is very nice and we order grilled Sepia (cuttlefish) and oxtail stew. We decide on Sangria again as our drink of choice. Today’s free tapa is tomato, onion, smoked salmon on bread with a side of potato chips. The Sepia is good, grilled with some garlic and oil and served with mayo on the side which surprisingly adds wonderfully to the taste. The oxtail is very tender, served with fried potatoes and the stew is eagerly soaked up with the provided bread. Another nice meal in Spain.

Puerta Bisagra

While looking on the map, I notice there are escalators near the restaurant that go down below the old hilltop part of Toledo that we are in. We go to check it out and ride a long series of escalators to the bottom. We walk below the old walls and find the Bisagra Gate into the city. This is where the Moors entered when they took the city over from the Visigoth Rule. We walk and explore a bit, then head back up the escalators and on to the San Roman Church. The open hours I had was 1000 to 1830, but it is closed and the hours say 1000 to 1400 and 1600 to 1830. It is 1550, so we sit nearby and wait the 10 minutes for them to open. We go back around the corner at 1605 and the door is still closed. That is when I read the rest of the sign which says closed on Mondays. Well, that’s a fine how do you do.                                                                                      

The Burial of the Count of Orgaz

New plan. Walk to the Chapel of Santa Tome to see another El Greco masterpiece. We find it and walk in to find ourselves behind a tour group in front of the painting. We squeeze past and explore the small chapel waiting for them to move on. They eventually do and we get to appreciate “The Burial of the Count of Orgaz” in relative quiet. I get yelled at by a Chapel Nazi when I take my camera out, but manage to sneak a picture for my faithful readers. The painting is beautiful but I am not sure it is worth the 3 Euros admission as there is nothing else noteworthy in this chapel and our visit is maybe 15 minutes.

Our Balcony Happy Hour

We wind our way back to the hotel, rest a bit, and then take a stroll to a little supermarket I found online. We buy a nice Tempranillo wine, chorizo, salami, olives, and a baguette for the princely sum of 6.50 Euros. Back to our hotel for a rooftop happy hour, however we are thwarted by the wind that has kicked up. No problem, we open our balcony doors sit just inside and enjoy the local view and goings on around us.

Midnight Procession

Fast forward to bed around 2330, I am woken to what sounds like a piston type machine. I look out our window to see a procession with monk looking men banging their staffs in unison as they walk. They stop in front of our window, where a priest says some prayers and then go on along their way towards the cathedral. Cool but I would have preferred it happen earlier. Much to my surprise an hour later I am woken up again for the same procedure in the opposite direction. I may be tired in the morning. Good night.

Expenses
Hotel San Isabel 53E incl. Breakfast
Toledo Cathedral 20E
Lunch at Embrujo 29E
San Tome Church 6E
Wine, chorizo, salami, olives, bread from market 6.50E
Walked 4 miles