From Madrid, Toledo is just a short 30 minute ride on one of Spain's fast trains. I had never thought of it, until I sat next to an older fellow on the plane to Madrid. He didn't speak any English, but as we talked, I understood that he was from Toledo, and he told me how to catch the train there from Madrid.
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Photo by Mark W. Laughlin
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Main hall of train station Madrid de Atoche. The high-speed train stops at the foot of the hill in Toledo, a walled, hill-top city, founded in Roman times, around 2000 years ago.
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Photo by Mark W. Laughlin
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You can take a bus, or grab a cab, and ride to the top of the hill, to begin your walk around Toledo there. One of the first people we encountered was this young fellow, jumping to catch huge soap bubbles, created by a fellow using something that looked like a white, circular rope.
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Photo by Mark W. Laughlin
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Toledo is a beautiful, densely constructed city, with street after narrow street, of apartments, restaurants, souvenir shops and more. There are beautiful churches, cathedrals, synagogues, some dating back hundreds and hundreds of years. Unfortunately for us, it was raining a bit as we arrived.
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Photo by Mark W. Laughlin
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One of the most prominent buildings in the city is the Alcánzar, a large fortress atop the town. It was rebuilt by Franco after it was nearly destroyed during fighting in the Spanish Civil War. But, I had a hard time getting photos in the rain, because I couldn't "look up" to photograph it, without getting raindrops on my lens.
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Photo by Mark W. Laughlin
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There are all sorts of statues set into the walls of the large cathedral,
Catedral Santa Iglesia.
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Photo by Mark W. Laughlin
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And then finally, the clouds started to break...
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Photo by Mark W. Laughlin
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Photo by Mark W. Laughlin
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A view across the plaza, down the street that runs next to the cathedral...
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Photo by Mark W. Laughlin
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And as soon as the sun came out, so did the people. Must have been many in hotels nearby, who had stayed in during the rain.
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Photo by Mark W. Laughlin
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A puddle amongst the cobble stones, offering a reflection of a nearby balcony.
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Photo by Mark W. Laughlin
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Speaking of reflections, this is my new favorite photo (at least until my next expedition !). While standing in front of the cathedral, I noticed a cool reflecting pool, just as the sun shone brightly on the basilica. In this image, you're actually looking at it upside down.
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Photo by Mark W. Laughlin
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Notice the orange tennis shoes in the lower left corner. The kid wouldn't move out of my way, so I positioned his shoes just in the corner of the frame. You don't really mind his reflection in the water, as he's obscured a bit by the reflection of a tree. I have not yet printed it as a "metal print", but will do so very soon.
For previous photos of Spain, see Valencia de España:
Try Toledo.
Really cool, really easy to get to, with a lot more to explore
than a fellow can do in one afternoon !
- Mark
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Photo by Mark W. Laughlin
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