Weekend trip to Toledo
Toledo was the first weekend excursion of the Study-Abroad Spain group. As we traveled north from Madrid to Toledo we were able to take in the scenery of rural Spain. The rolling hills were dotted by old stone houses, carefully plotted green areas, and windmills. Spain has harnessed the power of the wind by strategically placing windmills to produce energy for rural communities. Toledo, the former capital of Spain sits atop a hill as you can see from the view below. This city was an example of tolerance before the Reconquest with Christians, Muslims, and Jews living together in the community. The group visited the Cathedral of Toledo, the sinagogue of El Transito, and the Puente de Alcantara and also viewed many paintings by the famous artist, El Greco. Toledo is famous for the craftmanship of swords and several students took the opportunity to purchase souvenirs and gifts for loved ones.
August 11th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Hola!
Isn’t the architecture absolutely amazing throughout Spain?? I was mesmorized by all of the buildings that I saw in Malaga, Madrid, and Barcelona while I was studying abroad. That is one of the things that stood out the most to me. The way the city streets in Barcelona were designed are also quite unusual. I remember walking down the streets of the city, and each avenue I approached came to 4 points. In the middle there were spaces for cars and vespas to park, and there was a crosswalk for pededstrians. I loved the way it purposely makes you cross its streets in a certain direction. Barcelona is amazing- have you been?