9. Toledo

Toledo is the location described in the musical play Man from LaMancha.  Today we are driving the Impossible Dream, and I am sure that I will be hearing my theater friend,  John Cooper,  singing this powerful song.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgzXwpePTTU .   ( This video is Michael Stokes Mitchell, and you don't get any better than that!!)





Toledo is an ancient city set on a hill above the plains of Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain. The capital of the region, it’s known for the medieval Arab, Jewish and Christian monuments in its walled old city. It was also the former home of Mannerist painter El Greco. 

This is by far the most charming and interesting city we have seen on our trip.    The views, history,and architecture are all so interesting and exciting.

We are staying in a hotel that use to be the home of the Church Cardinal.   It is within the walled city, but barely, as the walls of the city are also the walls of the complex.   The gardens are beautiful and the facility is often used for weddings.    As we arrived all the urns were still filled with baby's breath and the fountains lit for beautiful evening strolls. 

We walked( climbed) the city yesterday to get the lay of the land.   They had a trolly that took us around the top of the mountain so that we could see the vast views and the building that are heavily Moorish in style.  Toledo sells more "stuff" to tourists than any city in Spain.  It does have it's own artistry and the ceramic artist   "llargo" is from here.   ( Mom, you would not believe his Nativity sets)

This is a bronze sculpture, not a slimmy mess of water going through town

Dinner last night here at the complex was pretty wonderful itself.  We thought we were eating late at 8:45 and we were the first ones there, even the staff was just arriving to work.  I wondered how this fabulou place could make a living.  We were finishing our meal at 10:00 pm and people were just arriving to dinner, the place was full by time we paid the check.   ( Eggplant - done in a way with honey that was fabulous - a suckling pig with tiny roasted potato- very good, but it kind of gets me into my social reasons for not eating veal,  cheeses, spanish ham and olives.....) We finished with another stroll through the lit gardens now with lots of other people doing the same.