Sevilla to Toledo

Bright and early the bus picks us up for the trek to Toledo, a 6 hour drive including a break for lunch. So by road it will take us just as long to cover half the distance as we covered in El Ave, the high speed train. But the landscape goes by at a pace we can take in better! We are passing out of Andalucia and through La Mancha, land of Don Quixote. Billboards are no longer allowed in Spain except for El Toro, which has become iconic for the country, but actually is an advertisement for a brand of wine.

The windmills and an occasional "Castillo de la Reconquista" are also stereotypical landmarks of the region of La Mancha. Our lunch break is at a roadside joint where the food was pretty good and the souvenirs were actually reasonably priced. I found the only authentic "Bota bag" (wine skin) that I saw on the whole trip. The bus driver, Isaboro, ordered wild boar meat, (I missed that on the menu) and gave me a bite. ¡Qué sabrosa!

This is the classic (El Greco) view of Toledo and the tour buses line up here for tourist photos. The Koreans are crazy and think it is hilarious to jump into some of our group shots. The city is known for its medieval character; natural picturesque beauty,

with the river forming a natural moat; fortification walls; narrow cobblestone streets; the cathedral; swordsmithing; and as the home to many El Greco paintings and a few Goyas.

(courtesy Web Gallery of Art) Unfortunately, we failed to note that our itinerary did not include a visit to the most important mural by El Greco, the Burial of the Count of Orgaz, and the rest of our tour through the city was quite rushed without any breaks, shopping time or tapas opportunities.

We did get to see the cathedral, which was not as impressive as Sevilla,

and the chains that hang from the outside of the church from all the prisoners taken during the Reconquista.

The altar area was visible here, however, whereas in Sevilla it was covered for restoration. There was yet another St Christopher depiction, this one very large. St Christopher was a giant who carried the baby Jesus across a river, noting that Jesus seemed unusually heavy for a little baby being carried by a giant. Jesus told him it was because he was bearing the weight of the sins of all mankind. That would explain it!

Before leaving Toledo, we visit the famous Toledo sword smithing factory and see the swords being smithed. We were encouraged to shop at the expensive store where they inlay gold into the swords and other jewelry items. Toledo is known for the quality and hardness of its steel, and between tales of Don Quixote, El Cid (We watched the Charlton Heston film on the bus ride) and the thrusting of one of these things deep into the body of a bull, many tourists feel compelled to buy one, even though they really do not fit well in your luggage!