Toledo

Alright as per usual this is incredibly late, but here's my toledo post. I was only in Toledo for a day (after Madrid) but it's been one of my favorite places so far. So the story on Toledo is pretty cool, as is the case with the majority of these places here in spain, a heavy jewish and muslim influence was present long before the christians came in and took over. The neat thing about this however is that in Toledo, unlike in a lot of parts of Spain, all three groups were able to coexist more or less peacefully for quite a while. What that means for art history nerds is that you get the best of all three sides- synagogs, mosques, and churches all in one place set on top of a little mountain with winding streets and a moat around the city. Also because it's a historically protected town, new construction has to pass rigorous standards, and the old buildings are all maintained which essentially means that you can't walk a hundred feet without seeing a building that's of some sort of historical significance- Simply put: I loved toledo.

So this is a fantastic example of the passage of time in toledo. in the background you have an islamic-inspired arch, then in the foreground you have a christian gothic arch that then had a renaissance rounded arch added to the outside of it!

This is the type of thing I will miss about Europe- this isn't some fancy church, it's an art museum

Nifty little street in Toledo

A synagogue in Toledo

View of the river that goes around the city

The outside of the little mosque, notice the islamic arches and the polychrome patterns (we're foreshadowing my trip to cordoba here)

One of the gateways to the city- islamic arch inside a gothic arch- i love toledo

Mountain side  

Church in Toledo

I wouldn't be opposed to living in this town