SPAIN: Cordoba-Toledo

SPAIN: Cordoba
Friday: up and early and schlepped much farther than I’d realized I’d need to to get to the train station, but got a relatively cheap one (the varieties are confusing) to Cordoba, where there was more confusion and a few hassles regarding bus and train schedules, baggage storage lockers and tourist info. I caught a bus to the area with the must-see stuff, and passed an old Islamic water wheel on my way to the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos. The highlights there were the views and the gardens, but it was crowded, partially due to it being a no-admission day and partly because there were a few weddings there for photos (with BITCHY women, I might add).

I had an overpriced falafel lunch and walked on the far side of the Rio Guadalquivir, by the Torre del la Calahorra and Puente Romano (under construction and impassable) to and around the far side of the city wall. Next up was the much-renowned Mezquita, which was a vast maze of endless candy-cane arches; I kept expecting giggling elves to pop out from behind pillars or hang from the ceiling. ‘Twas a wondrous mixture of Muslim and Christian architecture.

After that, the rest paled in comparison. I could only see part of the exterior of the sinagoga, the Puerta de Almodovar was like the Alcazar, and Casa Andalusi was a quaint home crammed with stuff supposedly of note. Spanish plazas never fail to please, though, and the Plazas de las Tendillas and de la Corredera were both lovely. The ruins of a roman temple were a funny find amidst the contemporary traffic.

SPAIN: Toledo

I got photos from my camera transferred to a CD (as many as would fit…) then walked back to the train station to hop a choochoo to Madrid, as there was no direct anything to Toledo, in spite of its being on the way. In Madrid I caught another train to Toledo, and arrived there after dark. Fortunately, I immediately found the bus that dropped me in the center of town, and I found my pension quickly. I was tired but went out for a caña (Mahou beer) and free tapas (rolls with oil, tomato and maybe eggplant, with fries and mayo, salsa and parsley—rock on!). I finally got to bed at 12:30 and slept in instead of running, as I’d be on my feet all day and had a lot of territory to cover.

The Mezquita de Cristo de la Luz (de obras=under construction) was a nifty old mosque with views beyond the city’s walls. I traded the unintelligible English writeup for the Spanish one. I probably shouldn’t have bothered finding the main tourist office after that, but I got a decent map and rode the huge remonte peotonal (escalator) to get there.

Moving on, I found my way (which isn’t easy in Toledo, as all the streets are twisty-turny, not so labeled, and lookalike) to the Monasterio de Santo Domingo el Anterio, where I saw (a copy of) El Greco’s “Acension,” lots of catholic stuff, and nun-made marzipan (I bought a little box—yum!). The Iglesia de San Roman and its Museo de los Concilios y Cultura Visigoda and tower (with what seemed like centuries’ worth of pigeon poop), was a quick stop before Iglesia de Santo Tome, with El Greco’s famous “El Entierro del Conde de Orgay.” Amazing and beautiful, and the tourists pay and are herded through to see this one thing the church has on display.

The Casa-Museo de El Greco offered more, including many portraits and “Vista y Plano de Toledo.” I checked out the Mudejar decoration of Sinagoga del Transito and its Museo Sefardi, then the Sinagoga de Santa Maria La Blanca, with white Almohade arches. The cloisters and sanctuary of San Juan de los Reyes were light-filled and beautiful, with eerie chains of former Christian prisoners adorning the exterior walls.

I turned back towards the center of town for lunch, and settled on a more out-of-the-way place with less crowded outdoor seating, and enjoyed a lunch of partridge with stewed beans and black pudding sausage (partridge is a Toledo specialty, and they don’t mention the sausage in the description, but you can always expect some pork of some kind to make an appearance), accompanied by a delicious pint of Schlosser Alt beer. Mmmmmmm.

Thus fortified, I braced myself for the crowds of Toledo’s famous Catedral. And it was crowded, as it was Saturday and also I think a special tourism day—many sites were free. But the Catedral was glorious, especially the unique Transparente: an elaborate sculpture- and fresco-decorated window above and behind the main altar. The coro, capilla Mayor, Puerta del Reloj, Sala Capitular (500-yr-old Mudejar ceiling), sacrista, cloisters and Custodia de Arfe were all of different styles, from Islamic to Renaissance to Gothic…quite the mishmash.

I passed by the Alcazar, which was under construction and closed, and was happy that the Museo de Santa Cruz had extended hours that day, as I’d heard it was fabulous—and it was! There were tons of El Grecos and works of other masters, plus a special exhibit on seeing all the underlying drawing with whatever their newest technology is.

I went back to my pension via the Arco de la Sangre in the city walls, guarded by a statue of Cervantes, and Plaza de Zocodover, which is seemingly always a-bustle. I picked up my belongings and caught a bus to the train station, where the next two trains were sold out! So I walked to the bus station and caught a slow one, but got to Madrid before it was very late. Whew! A big day!