Canadian World Traveller Spring 2024 Issue

to a pair of charmers in the Castilla-La Mancha region of central Spain
9
Icould spend hours roaming through the
tangle of cobbled pathways that thread
the historic core of Toledo, one of the
best places in all of Europe for getting lost in
a medieval dreamscape. Loaded with Old
World magic, Toledo projects the very essence
of Spain and was once its capital.
On a recent visit to this fascinating city rich in
Christian, Jewish and Muslim heritage, I never
tired of probing the labyrinth’s nooks and
crannies while popping into souvenir stores,
touring museums, and traipsing through an
ancient synagogue, the world’s fourth largest
cathedral and a former mosque built during
the Moorish occupation.
Like the Old City district of Cuenca, another
charmer in Spain’s Castilla-La Mancha region
(see opposite page), Toledo’s extensive
medieval quarter sprawls across a hilltop
bounded by the original city walls and surrounded
by a river below.
Located 55 miles southwest of Madrid, Toledo
overflows with tourists—attracting a million of
them every year—and its pedestrian alleyways
abound with gift shops. I’m not ashamed to
say I loved shopping for refrigerator magnets
and other tchotchkes in Toledo, but I also
liked stepping away from the commercialism
to explore back lanes accented with wroughtiron
balconies, grillwork windows and massive,
centuries-old wooden doors. Some of
Toledo’s narrow streets do allow cars, however,
so be prepared to stand flat against the
buildings to spare your feet from being run
over by drivers barreling up and down the
inclines.
Long known for its quality cutlery, Toledo has
many sword stores and calls itself the Sword
Capital of the World. At the Zamorano sword
factory, where we watched craftsmen at work,
one fellow traveler shipped home two swords,
fitting reminders of this fortified city that harks
back to the days of knights in shining armor.
Since the Middle Ages, Toledo has been
known for its steel craftsmanship. Stores offer
a fine selection of knives, letter openers and
scissors as well as swords, plus knight figurines
in all sizes.
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Candy is always a good thing to bring home,
and I stocked up on marzipan at Santo
Tome’s flagship store. The seventh-generation
family company has been making its famous
almond paste confection since 1856. For giftgiving,
I bought wrapped boxes of six-inch
marzipan bars inscribed “T-O-L-E-D-O,” but
my own bag of marzipan pieces was gobbled
up before I got to the Madrid airport.
In between shopping and wandering footloose
in the dense medieval mazes, I checked
off a few places from my must-see list, including
the El Greco Museum. Toledo is synonymous
with the Greek-born painter Domenikos
Theotokopoulos, better known as El Greco, or
“The Greek.” He moved to Spain in 1571
from the island of Crete and today is venerated
as one of the country’s old masters, along
with Goya and Velazquez.
by Randy Mink
El Greco’s religious canvases, distinguished
by bold colors and elongated figures in voluminous
robes, can be seen in the museum
bearing his name and in Toledo churches and
other museums.
The El Greco Museum resides next door to the
14th century El Transito Synagogue with its
Arabic-influenced interior decoration, coffered
ceiling and museum of Sephardic
Jewish culture. The park across the street has
a memorial to El Greco and a terrace affording
panoramic views of the city, truly one of
the most captivating places in all of Spain.
www.spain.info/en/destination/toledo/
World Traveler Spring 2024