De España al cielo: Toledo
To my mind, Spain might be the only country, apart from Italy, where no matter how many times you visit again and again, there will always be new spectacular places to discover. Every single place we have seen on this occasion could be the country's main attraction, given the amount of splendour and beauty encountered.
It was a week after Easter, so we skipped this time the intoxicating religious zealotism of the procession crowds, but we arrived on time to scoop a few more bites of the last remaining torrijas. It is a dessert usually eaten around Easter, and even though it is nothing more sophisticated than a sweet French toast, in its Spanish reincarnation, it always leaves one craving for more. It could be the alchemy of the mixture of lemon and orange zest in the milk that soaks the old bread slices, or it could be the fact that you always eat it under the Spanish golden sun and in the best company of local friends. Either way, we devoured them and no, despite their simplicity, they cannot be recreated at home. Something is always missing to make it just right. Probably a cup full of sunshine, and a liter of laughter with joy-loving, spontaneous Spaniards.
Summer has officially arrived in Spain, even though it is only April and the rest of Europe is still swept by gelid winds and pesky rain. Cautiously dressed in northern layers, but a heliophiliac nevertheless, I believe I had a sunstroke on our first day. Our son, as children usually do, was quicker to adapt, and started shouting "Hola"! to everyone, and disposing of all his clothes. He also lost his front milky tooth while on holiday, which is an event that he has been eagerly anticipating for a long time, thus, Spain will forever hold a special place in his memory.
We visited Madrid, Toledo, Salamanca, and Segovia, and toured the gardens of the royal retreat of Aranjuez. Toledo was an absolute gem of a discovery, due to its medieval beauty and the quality of being able to pack a lot in such a small historic centre. It is a citadel on the hill, atop a gorge, mystical and alluring, strapped by ancient bridges across the river Tagus. The only thing lovelier than a leisurely walk through the cobbled streets is the same walk during the night, and watching the city all lit up across the Bridge of San Martin, which offers the most surreal, fantasy-book scene experience.
Toledo is a glorified city of three cultures, with the notion that three distinct religious communities of Christians, Muslims, and Jews have lived there in harmony for centuries. Well, at least in theory. The tour through the Jewish quarter of Toledo will teach you about the gruesome history behind the picturesque ancient maze of narrow streets, rife with shop windows with unique merchandise, and synagogue remains. The once prosperous, hard-working Jewish community lived there for a long time before they faced the destiny of all Spanish Jews in 1492. They were all banished from the country on account of a superstitious mix of prejudice, hatred, and pure greed of their once docile neighbors that coveted their wealth.
The allegations ranged from typical usury charges to grisly stories of Jews sacrificing Christian babies in abhorrent rituals. In the same year when Spain was so forward-thinking to fund the "discovery" of America, it was equally backward and small-minded enough to expel countless Jews that lived with them peacefully for centuries there. The gates of the city, with their picturesque architectural details and elegant arches, are beautiful to see, but in the light of them being the last that a family forever banished would see, they only bring tears to one's eyes. The city is spangled with little brass signs in Hebrew, the pictograms of candelabras called menorahs, and if you follow these, you imagine how life might have been once upon a time for the Sephardic community of Toledo. They didn't escape the attention of our son and he asked about them with typical childish curiosity. We explained the basic outline of what happened, and upon seeing me upset he asked the crucial question: "Why do you care so much about it? We are not Jewish."
Exactly. Out of the mouths of babes, indeed. Well, as long as the world behaves as if only their own personal lives, kinship, and local grievances matter and deserve sympathy, history will keep on repeating itself. To paraphrase Judith Butler, all lives destroyed, stunted, or lost are mournable, and grievable. If not, then we don't recognize the basic humanity of others. That is why the suffering of unknown Jews in the 15th century still brings tears to my eyes and frankly, it should to anyone's.
Toledo's beauty seeps into everything, even the most utilitarian governmental building such as a local police station, looks like a mystical, over the top beautiful monastery out of a medieval crime novel. A non-touristic attraction, but even that will not disappoint, because the mirador (viewpoint) from there is unparalleled. The Cathedral Primada is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, and one of the most spectacular museums of art that surely merits a visit. We left it for the end of our stay in Toledo, and it served as a proverbial cherry on the top of an experience that was already saturated with beauty, art and captivating atmosphere.
Cathedrals in Spain do have a resemblance to Russian dolls. They are built on a mosque, which in turn had been built on a much older church. The Primada requires at least two hours and it will reward you with works of El Greco, Titian, Velazquez and Goya. The statues, the altar, the carved choir benches, the innovative ceiling solutions, rosetta mosaic windows...Our eyes feed on beauty, but in here, it is a feast like no other. My personal favourites are a Madonna with veil painting by Raphael, and a chamber with endless frescoes that culminate in the heaven and hell dyptich. Our son was surprised to find a baby in hell, so a bit before we planned it, we needed to broach the topic of predestination.
We did a last stroll across the Bridge of San Martin, where fearless zip liners slid across the river and into the airy abyss. We had a good night of sleep in the palace-like hotel tucked in the olive groves, and after another indulgent breakfast in the historical city, we left, knowing that topping Toledo would be a difficult task. But we headed to Salamanca, so stay tuned.
