The story of pulling out "teeth" in the warm winter sun (Twenty-three) Toledo: the eternal medieval royal city (Part 1)

Spain, as we all know, is a country with a long history. However, we didn’t know until we were doing our pre-trip guide that Madrid was not the original capital of Spain. The earliest capital of Spain was an ancient historical city called Toledo, about 70 kilometers away from Madrid.

Toledo, this ancient city, for me, is known from Cervantes’ world-famous novel "Don Quixote". This place name has appeared many times in the works, which is the starting point for Don Quixote and his follower Sancho to embark on their crazy adventure in fantasy.

Leaving Lisbon, we brought this short trip to Portugal to an end. However, our self-driving trip to the Iberian Peninsula will continue. We drove back to Spain and headed to Toledo, the old capital of Spain.

Toledo, this ancient city has more than 2,000 years of history and cultural accumulation. Spain during the Toledo period was the largest empire in Europe in the Middle Ages.

Since the eighth century AD, Moors, Christians and Jews have settled in this city, leaving Toledo with a great and precious artistic and cultural heritage. Toledo has therefore become one of the three A place where cultures coexist, it is known as the "City of Three Cultures".

We arrived in Toledo in the evening. Driving along the winding mountain road, in the car, we caught a glimpse of one of Toledo’s attractions: the entire ancient city has an excellent geographical location, is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and is a geomantic treasure. The first impression Ledo left on us.

Because we took the wrong road and there were many one-way streets in the ancient city, we drove past this ancient city gate - Puerta Nueva de Bisagra twice.

The second point of interest in Toledo: The Pisagra Gate is the most famous medieval city gate in Toledo and the main entrance to the city of Toledo. It was built in the mid-16th century. Due to the east, west and Separated by the Tagus River in the south, this is the only gate that can enter the ancient city.

The city gate consists of two huge cylindrical fortresses with an arched stone door sandwiched between them. On the stone door is a huge Toledo Empire emblem, which is composed of three parts.

Today, four flags representing the European Union, Spain, the Autonomous Region of Castilla-La Mancha and the City of Toledo are planted next to the city gate. The city wall next to it was opened, and a huge square door was opened, which was specially opened for the passage of buses.

The double-headed eagle is the symbol of the Holy Roman Empire. It is said that this is the honor granted to Toledo by Charles V, just like the patron saint of this land.

The moment you walk through the city gate, you feel like you have entered a modern medieval city. Every brick and tile is still the same as it was hundreds of years ago.

On the city wall, the inscription given to Toledo by Spanish literary master Cervantes is still engraved: The glory of Spain, the light of the Spanish city. This is a high-level summary of Toledo’s cultural history.

Toledo is the capital of the La Mancha region, and Don Quixote's full name is "Don Quixote de La Mancha", which translated into Chinese means "living in The Quixote Gentleman of La Mancha.”

This is the starting point for knights to travel around the world to perform chivalry. Although this is a journey full of irony, Toledo, the starting point of the story, is well-deserved as a symbol of Spanish culture.

There is a courtyard inside the city gate, which is a bit like our country's urn city, with a statue of Carlos V in the middle.

There is also the Puerta de Alfonso VI nearby, also called the Old Pisa Grata Gate. It was built in the 10th century and is the oldest city gate in Toledo and the only preserved gate in Toledo. An original door.

The ancient city wall naturally extends to both sides. Under the wall is a small garden, where statues stand quietly...

From here, we will Driving to officially enter Toledo, feel the feeling of entering the town through the city gate in ancient times, review history, and experience history...

The streets and alleys in the ancient city of Toledo are very narrow. And there is a sense of winding paths leading to secluded places, with dark willows and bright flowers.

Following the navigation, the sky turned dark before I knew it. When we drove to the square in front of the Ayuntamiento de Toledo City Hall when the lights were on, we couldn't find a way to continue driving.

In desperation, I parked the car on the side of the road, called the hotel owner, and admired the Toledo City Hall.

The Toledo City Hall at night is full of history. The main building is in a strong Renaissance style; below the city hall is a tourist information center similar to the Shikumen door. When it opens tomorrow, you can Go here to pick up a free map of Toledo.

There are Baroque-style spiers on both sides of the city hall, which are firm and tall against the dark blue sky.

Unexpectedly, this is the third highlight of Toledo: City Hall Square, the essence of Toledo, consisting of Toledo City Hall, Cardinal Palace Palacio Arzobispal and the Grand Palace The church forms a triangular square.

This beautiful building adjacent to the City Hall is the Palazzo Cardinali, the residence where successive chief cardinals of Spain have lived.

Opposite is the most famous building in the ancient city of Toledo - the Catedral de Toledo. The cathedral's spire was under repair when we arrived, which I felt a little sorry for. Fortunately, when I overheard a tour guide explaining it later, I learned that the cathedral seemed to be undergoing renovations every time he came to it, which comforted me a lot.

Sky bridge. The archbishop could not walk on the road at will, so an aerial covered bridge was built between the two buildings. The archbishop went to work in the Papal Palace and the Cathedral through the covered bridge from his residence.

The hotel owner told us that we can get there by driving on the small road facing the city hall. But where is the path? Although the intersection sign has a limited width of 1.9 meters, after the car drives in, even if the reflectors on both sides are retracted, the distance between the two sides of the car and the wall is no more than two fingers, which is very thrilling.

After driving through the gourd-like bottleneck, it suddenly became clear that a simple stone building suddenly appeared in front of us. It was the hotel we had booked in advance, located in the center of the ancient city, with parking spaces. But where are the parking spaces?

At this time, the boss opened two closed doors on the roadside, and then motioned for us to park the car. It turned out to be the basement of a house, now turned into a small parking lot for guests.

When checking in, the boss repeatedly emphasized: You are so lucky! Here’s a reminder to friends who drive there: because parking spaces are limited, be sure to remind the boss to reserve a parking space the day before check-in! ! !

The elegant and Spanish-style hotel tile sign hangs in a prominent position at the entrance.

Although the Hotel Santa Isbel only has two stars, it is one of the most popular hotels in Toledo because it is a historical monument in itself. Not only is it located in the heart of the old city, but it was formerly a 15th-century building. Therefore, spending 380 yuan to experience the feeling of living in a historical site is a great value!

The lobby, decoration, furnishings, etc. in the hotel all have a distinctive Spanish style.

However, what attracts me more is the oil paintings of Toledo scenery hanging in the hotel.

Among them, this oil painting is said to have been shot on the rooftop terrace of the hotel. We are yearning for this, but we are somewhat dubious about it.

After putting away our luggage, we couldn’t wait to walk into Toledo in the night. The winding path led us step by step into this 16th-century ancient city...

At this time, a scene from an oil painting in the hotel appeared vividly before our eyes. , I couldn't help but rub my eyes. The light shining on the church is not strong, making the ancient city even more peaceful and mysterious.

In the dark night, the towering Gothic church deifies faith infinitely. Although Toledo Cathedral is under repair, its dazzling light cannot be concealed. After all, it is the most exquisite of all medieval churches in Europe.

Construction of Toledo Cathedral began in 1226 and was not completed until the end of the 15th century. It underwent many repairs and additions during the period. Influenced by the multi-cultural influence of the ancient city of Toledo that has lasted for thousands of years, the church architecture also incorporates various architectural styles such as Mudejar and Gothic.

Led by the tall Gothic spire, we arrived in front of the cathedral. I accidentally looked up and saw that the cathedral under the moonlight looked even more profound and vicissitudes of life.

The cathedral is a huge building complex that combines a variety of architectural styles. At night, we can only appreciate the appearance of the cathedral up close through the light, but the delicacy and sophistication of its architectural craftsmanship still amaze me. It is truly worthy of being the pinnacle of Gothic art!

The facade of the cathedral consists of three doors, which is the largest and largest door of the Absolution. It is said that anyone who enters the church through the door of forgiveness can be forgiven.

See again this air corridor connected to the cathedral. This picture made me feel a little regretful, thinking: What a beautiful picture it would be if there were no scaffolding for repairs!

It is said that the Morlet Gate under the corridor was the place where the church distributed bread to the poor in the Middle Ages.

In the dark of night, we walked aimlessly in the ancient city of Toledo, and we could see various large-scale ancient buildings with a long history of Gothic, Moorish, and Baroque.

Wandering through the wide streets and narrow alleys, you will be mesmerized by the art of bricks and stones. The details of the eaves, corners, door frames and window lintels all reveal the historical value and cultural connotation behind this small town.

Although there are a large number of exquisite and complicated historical sites in the city, we can walk through the winding alleys and linger in front of the corner houses. What particularly attracts our attention are the large number of ordinary people's homes. The walls, door heads, window lintels, balconies, etc. of these houses are all built and decorated with bricks and stones.

This combination of masonry and stone naturally reveals a deep and heavy foundation, and is filled with a somewhat mysterious ancient style.

The double-headed eagle badge that appears on the wall from time to time silently reveals the ancient city's once prominent history.

Strolling through the winding and silent alleys of the ancient city of Toledo, you will be greeted by historical buildings of various styles. It seems that you have returned to the ancient times, talking to the ancients from a distance, which aroused endless excitement. reverie.

Before we knew it, we arrived at Puerta de Sol. Under the light, the lintel, stone statues, clan emblems, etc. on the Sun Gate are all clearly visible.

Returning to the ancient city, we saw this sign at the intersection. Among them, the yellow escalator leads directly to the observation deck on the top of the mountain. I originally planned to go there the next day, but I didn't want to make many twists and turns, so I forgot about it. Somewhat regretful.

The narrow stone streets are filled with a variety of medieval weapons and crafts shops and tourist souvenir shops, interspersed with hotels and restaurants. Of course, there are also many coffee shops and elegant small shops selling Spanish ham slices. shop. It's a pity that most of them have closed their doors to thank guests.

Along the way, I passed several good restaurants, but they were all closed. Unfortunately, we couldn't even find a place to eat.

However, it was a blessing in disguise. When every store put down their roller shutters, we were surprised to discover another colorful side of Toledo.

After walking around, we walked back to the hotel. After being guided by the boss, we came to the rooftop terrace that surprised me the most.

In this surprisingly quiet night, we gently walked up to the rooftop terrace and saw the starry sky under the night sky, and the ancient city of Toledo presented a dynamic and charming skyline.

As night falls, Toledo looks so ancient and mysterious against the backdrop of those little stars. There are many spiers, the tallest of which is the Cathedral of Toledo. It is one of the few cathedrals in Spain with a cardinal seat. The majestic tower towers straight into the sky, telling God about Toledo every day. The historical changes of the ancient city.

The cathedral and the ancient castle Alcázar de Toledo dominate Toledo’s night skyline.

The square building in the distance is the fourth attraction of Toledo: the ancient castle located at the highest point of Toledo was originally a castle and palace of the ancient Romans. Later kings used it as a royal palace. , was once one of the most gorgeous palaces in Europe. This unusually strong castle-like building has a towering watchtower at each corner.

Then let us look at the night of the ancient city in front of us and have a strange and sweet dream together in this 15th century monument!

Toledo is a city forgotten by the world. The ancient capital is full of medieval ruins and is called the "forever 16th-century ancient city."

At night, the ancient city’s stone roads, Roman stone castles and Gothic churches are like going back in time, accompanied by the Tagus River flowing quietly under the medieval San Martin Bridge...

Like all isolated places, Toledo still stubbornly retains its last secrets that have not been written down in any books. This is the only way to understand its profound mystery by visiting it in person.

Toledo is definitely a place that anyone who travels to Spain cannot give up.

Strolling around Toledo, every corner will bring us unexpected surprises. Every scenic building may have amazing decoration and history. Quietly discover and appreciate it with your heart. , listen to the sounds of those churches, city gates and ancient bridges, and dialogue with Spanish history; maybe time will stay at that moment, unwilling to let it pass with the turning of the hour hand...

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