| Destinations
> Spain > TOLEDO |
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| View
of Río Tajo, Toledo |
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The city of El Greco, where one can
see his marvelous Entierro del Conde de Orgaz... the city on the hill
whose mystic vistas he painted... the city of Santa María la
Blanca, a chapel historically used as Synagogue, Mosque and Church...
Toledo is one of the time-tested gems of Castile, formerly a center
of trade and scholarship, and today a city that breathes past and present
in one breath... [Full
Profile]
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Featured Sights
The city itself is a sight to remember, an enclave of closely compiled
buildings from various historical periods, perched atop a hill and flanked
by the Río Tajo. |
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Museums / Culture
Toledo is rich in art, artisanry and cultural nuance. The damasquinado
art, various colors of gold inlaid into blackened steel, is still practiced
by dedicated local artisans. |
| Featured
Favorite: El Greco |
| See
the breathtaking mural, El Entierro del Conde de Orgaz, by
El Greco, at the Church of Santo
Tomé, right in the heart of the city. |
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see his Casa Museo, a gallery of great works on display in
the very rooms he once called home... |
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On Foot
Starting from the Plaza de Zocodóver, wind your way through the
city's fabled streets, around the cathedral, to El Greco's home, and down
to the high embankment that overlooks the river. |
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Architecture
Toledo is an entry from central Spain into the South, and as such boasts
a great deal more Moorish influence than some of its Castilian cousins.
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Restaurants
The Old Center of Toledo is laced with family-run bars and restaurants,
and you can find everything Spanish from paella to tapas, to the café
con leche, within walking distance of the clutch of shops atop the hill.
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Hotels
Hotels range from upscale, costly affairs to the cozy one-star pensión,
which offers a spare but effective base for sightseeing. |
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Transportation
RENFE, Spain's rail system will take you directly to Toledo from Madrid,
along the gritty amber Castilian landscape that spawned the incomparable
Don Quijote de la Mancha. |
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A
Brief History: from  |
| Toledo
was founded by the Romans, who named it Toletum, and it quickly
became a great trading centre. Later, the Visigoths made it
their capital. Under the Moors it was incorporated into the
Emirate of Córdoba. With its large Jewish population,
it came to flourish as the epitome of Spain's society of three
cultures, Muslim, Christian and Jewish. Reconquered in 1085
with the assistance of El Cid, Toledo soon became the capital
of Christian Spain once again. The Muslim tradition of religious
tolerance continued under the Christians, at least until the
early C15... |
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city disappears from the history books for about 400 years,
to re-emerge briefly during the Spanish Civil War (the story
is told at the end of this section). Cast that aside and cast
aside the suffocating plethora of tourist shops, and you can
feel as you walk through the town's medieval streets that
you are walking through a unique treasurehouse of Spanish
history, culture and society. |
»
Full
essay from
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©
Passports, Inc., 1993-2003
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travel.sentido@casavaria.com |
| Oxígeno
y ciprés: junio en España |
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ENTRANDO...
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| Camino
por el pasillo abierto que lleva hasta la puerta. Me recuerdo.
Recuerdo sin fallos el lugar y el sentido del lugar. Ver el
mismo cactus, el encanto de las plantas que llueven sobre
los muros, ver la casa, el umbral, la cara y bondad insondable
de Gloria, que siempre me cuidaba tan bien, significa una
colaboración improbable con el fluír temporal.
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| Cenamos
y hablamos de literatura, de leyenda y de la verdad. Hablamos
de ese espacio infinito que corre por entre los nudos y planicies
de la biografía a medias. |
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Me
encuentro entre planes, entre mundos, entre variados trayectos
de un progreso incierto que se llama vida. El aire tenue
y privado está repleto de fantasmas e ideales, preferencias,
gustos, y todo lo demás que pueda trascender los
cambios cotidianos de la vida... [Texto
completo]
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©
2001 Joseph Robertson
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through Casavaria, their mutual publisher. |
| MADRID
BOMBING INVESTIGATION |
5
DETAINED IN CONNECTION WITH THURSDAY'S ATTACKS
14 March 2004 |
| The
Spanish government has announced it arrested 5 men in connection
with evidence related to Thursday's bomb attacks in Madrid.
3 of the men are Moroccans, 2 carry Indian passports but may
be Spanish citizens of Indian origin. Thousands of protesters
gathered outside the ruling party's HQ on Saturday, to demand
answers. Suspicions turn from ETA to Al Qaeda. [Full
Story] |
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| CHANGE
OF GOVERNMENT |
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SPAIN
ELECTS ZAPATERO, VOTES OUT PARTIDO POPULAR
15 March 2004
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Only
three days after the worst terrorist incident in Spanish
history, Spain has ousted the governing PP and installed
the socialist PSOE, which had governed throughout the 1980s
and the transition to democracy. Tension over issues of
war and peace had been growing since 90% of Spain's population
opposed its government's involvement in the Iraq war. Turnout
was up 8.46% over 2000. Zapatero pledges to combat terrorism
as first priority. [Full
Story]
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| EUROPEAN
UNION |
EU
CAMPAIGNS TO ABOLISH DEATH PENALTY
17 January 2004 |
| The
European Union requires a ban on the death penalty for all
members. While the EU has been a staunch proponent of human
rights, and is home to the World Criminal Court, EU officials
have announced they will intensify their global campaign against
capital punishment. Representatives of the EU are touring
Asian countries, hoping to lobby their governments for the
cessation of the practice. [For more: IHT] |
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