Toledo Córdoba and Sevilla

We´ve done a ton of things since last week!

Overall Madrid involved a lot of walking and not as much picture taking. We couldn´t take pictures in either the Royal Palace or the Prado art museum. The Prado was huge and had lots of great artwork by El Greco, Rubens, Goya...to name a few.
We were in Madrid for 2 nights, and after that we took a train to Toledo. While Madrid was a bustling city, the old part of Toledo where we stayed was quaint and midieval with narrow stone roads. I loved it - my favorite so far. We met friendly people, shopped, and learned about religious history. When we first arrived, we visited a shop where we saw "damasacene" - black steel plates or jewelry inlaid with gold and silver wire - being handcrafted. This is the signature artwork of Toledo and is really gorgeous. Of course the men working there were extra friendly trying to sell things - we had a good time, and did end up buying gifts. While in Toledo we visited the main cathedral, built in the late 1400´s. It is the most impressive and elaborate I´ve seen, with super high ceilings, detailed carvings, and lots of separate rooms (some with tombs, others showcasing traditional robes or ceremonial objects). We also learned about Jewish roots. Altogether in Spain, there are allegedly only 3 synagogues remaining from before the Inquisition - 2 in Toledo and 1 in Córdoba. La Sinagoga del Tránsito (synagogue of the river, or also known as el Museo Sefardi) is Spain´s national Jewish museum. The synagogue was built in the 1300´s, but later, in the 1400´s, Jews and Muslims were exiled in the effort to make Spain a Christian nation. The synagogue then became a church, and later a military shelter. It is now restored, and the museum added on has Jewish ritual objects collected from different areas in Spain. We also visited the former synagogue Santa Maria la Blanca in Toledo which, like la Sinagoga del Tránsito, was converted into a church after the Jews and Muslims were forced to convert or flee. It still stands as a church.

We took a train back through Madrid to Córdoba next. Córdoba was really hot, with modern shops and fountains - it was nice, but I liked Madrid and Toledo more. We were only there for 1 night. We visited the last of the 3 remaining old synagogues, plus another Jewish museum dedicated to Sephardic traditions and a statue of Maimonides. One of the biggest highlights of Córdoba is La Mezquita - built in the 1300´s, it used to be a Muslim mosque. More wings were added in the 1700´s by Christians after the Inquisition and it became a church. It is a really gorgeous building. I feel that so far we´ve been seeing a lot of the same story - mosques and synagogues turned into cathedrals - but now we´re in Sevilla and it´s been a breath of fresh (but humid and rainy) air...

I wasn´t a huge fan of Córdoba - there wasn´t a lot to do and people were much more "in your face" when selling stuff. I guess we´re obvious tourists. Sevilla is a fun place. It´s very busy at nighttime and there are some great places to see. It´s the site of Real Alcazar, which is an old palace (surprise, not a cathedral) built in the 1300´s by Moors. During the 1400´s extra wings were added, and it is where Queen Isabella met with Columbus when he returned from his travels to the Americas. The tilework was intact throughout most of the palace, and there were beautiful arches and ponds. Outside there was a huge gardens area with lots of trees, ducks, and fountains. Also in Sevilla is the 3rd largest cathedral in Europe. We didn´t actually go inside, but it definitely looks gigantic from the outside. Last night we went to an exciting flamenco show. There was a really talented guitarrist and this singer who had a very guttural voice. The singing had lots of wailing - a little unusual. Then there were also 2 dancers, one male and the other female, and they did lots of fancy, fast footwork and tapping.
So far our hotels have been nice, moderate quality. This one in Sevilla is definitely one of the coolest. It´s called Hotel Amadeus and its theme is everything classical music. There is a grand piano, cello, and harp in the lobby, as well as an additional upright piano in a side room off the lobby. They´ve got sheet music and cd´s, and any guest can play. It seems to be an old-fashioned building, but it´s cozy. And only this month breakfast is included, which saves some money.

Later tonight I´ll try putting up some pictures...they might go well with all the descriptions :)