Devon Cooper

As I type, I am uploading photos of Danny’s and my recent trip to Toledo, an ancient city about 70 km outside of Madrid . Toledo is famous for its “casco historico” or old town. I did a little googling, and according to various websites (wikipedia, zocodover.com, Toledo-spain.info), Toledo was a functioning city long before the Romans showed up and took it over in the year 192 b.c. It was apparently founded sometime before 400 b.c. by the Iberians. I have to admit I did not realize just how old the city is… But the ruins are amazing. And there is still more for us to see in future visits. The “old” part of the city is on top of a very large hill and surrounded by an ancient wall. The city inside the wall is extremely hilly. The streets were obviously built long before cars (and even carriages) were buzzing around. They are so narrow, they look more like alleyways. Many of the cobblestone streets are interrupted by stairs, twisting and turning in crazy directions. The city is like a maze! There are an unbelievable amount of churches, synagogues, and mosques. The city has been ruled by Iberians, Romans, Moors, and then Christian Spaniards, and everyone has left their mark.

On a more personal note, I was amazed and fascinated by the city. But I have a complaint. We were not allowed to enter the Cathedral unless we paid 7 euros. I refused. I am a Catholic. Yet I can’t go in a catholic church? This church is not just a museum. It is a functioning church that holds mass every Sunday. What is happening to the world when people are forced to PAY to go inside a church?!?! I am disgusted by the fact that ROME feels the need to charge a fee for entrance to a church. (or, to be fair, maybe Rome doesn’t know it’s happening… though somehow I doubt that) Historical landmarks or not, churches are built for one purpose only- can you guess what that is? I know what I thought it was… But I’m not so sure anymore.

 

But I digress. I am supposed to be talking about how amazing Toledo is. Toledo is famous for its cultural and religious tolerance (at least before all that inquisition stuff started. But that’s another story) and that is why there are so many different religious buildings to see.

On a lighter note, Toledo also seems to be inhabited by a large colony of black cats. They roam around looking cute and roll around in sunbeams. They also get a lot of attention from the tourists.

Ah, speaking of tourists….. They (or I guess I should say WE) were everywhere! It is very clear that the economy of Toledo relies heavily on tourism. This is good, and bad. It’s good because that means it’s easy to find affordable hotels and transportation. It’s bad because everything else is super expensive!!

So to see the pictures of this AMAZING and very old city, check out my new Flickr account. My user name is devon.cooper

Don’t forget the dot. Devon (dot)cooper. You should be able to see what I’ve uploaded.

I find it interesting that here, when coming and going on an elevator, people always- without fail- say hello and goodbye to eachother. Yet, entering and exiting the metro, all manners go out the window. Hold the door for someone? Never! Let them off of the metro before they shove themselves on? No way.... It seems that underground atmosphere can alter the personality quite extremely.

Also, the calico cat that hangs out with the black cat in the neighborhood is pregnant. I guess theyre not so much like an old retired couple after all.

And finally.... Semana Santa (Holy Week) is vacation time for all here. Its a week-long government holiday. Lets call it church-sponsored spring break. Whatever...Im not complaining. Im heading to Toledo!