Toledo is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and is located about 45 miles south of Madrid. It's famous for both its marzipan and its swords, both of which can be swallowed. This is a shot of the center of Toledo taken from the opposite side of the Tagus river:
Toledo's been completely restored and has tons of shops and stuff to look at. For me, one of the cool things about the historic city center is that they've hung canvas covers over many of the streets. It's very nice because it keeps the streets shady and cooler. Here you can see a typical street with the cathedral in the background:
While walking through town, I came across this friendly fellow named Uru. He came right up to me like he knew me and spent three or four minutes "allowing me the pleasure" of scratching his back. Oh yeah, I'm a sucker for English Bulldogs and I've wanted one pretty much all of my life (all white, if you're out shopping one day).
I spotted this Hyper Blue and White (same color as mine) MINI attracting crowds in Toledo:
As with pretty much every city in Spain, I came face-to-face with another "head shot" of John the Baptist. I've really gotta' figure this one out...
Toledo is a lovely small town and definitely worth a visit if you're in the area. It's fun to walk around the shops, buy marzipan from some nuns in a church, check out a sword shop, and/or just eat and drink in one of the restaurants. Thanks (again) to Alicia and Paco for the guided tour and to Diana (again) for sharing her friends with me.
John was beheaded by Herod, at the request of his daughter Salome, who requested that his head be "served on a platter" after Herod had promised her "anything she desired". Herod complied, although he was apparently not as excited about the prospect as she was. ;-) Anyhow, it's a common theme in art of that period since it was salacious for the time. Kind of like sensationalism on TV today. -- Bruce
ReplyDeleteOkay, so this is why I have smart friends. Thanks Bruce for the insight.
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