Weather: 35º C and Sunny

Slept in this morning which was quite a surprise. Normally there is enough hotel or outside noise about 8am to wake us up – is was 9.30 this morning so we must have needed the rest.
After breakfast our first stop was the cathedral. The site was first a Visigothic cathedral that was replaced by the Moors with a mosque. After the Christians regained control they replaced the church/mosque and built the cathedral, which took 270 years to complete.

It is a very impressive Gothic design and is very ornate, colourful and well lit with more than 750 stained glass windows. One unique feature was a number of red hats hanging in different parts of the cathedral. These are from cardinals of the cathedral who have chosen their burial place in the cathedral, above which hangs their hat until it rots (probably outlast the body).

It was disappointing that many of the areas were temporarily closed to the public. They had been roped off and some were filled with row after row of chairs. This gave what is actually a very large cathedral a cluttered appearance. There was also a lot of artwork (including 18 El Greco paintings) that had been removed from the sacristy (which was one of the closed areas) and spread throughout the various chapels; artwork covering up artwork!

The choir was fascinating and the most ornate we have seen. Spent a long time looking at the unusual carvings that were everywhere around the seats.

We also elected to walk up the tower. We were given a time to go up and the groups were limited to 20. The stairs were very narrow to the point that there is the possibility that some people may have been told they would not be allowed entry. We were not allowed to go to the very top of the tower but did get as high as the belfry – thankfully they did not ring the bells while we were there.

After 3 hours in the cathedral it was time for lunch then off to the Santa Cruz Museum that had once been a renaissance hospital. This free museum held 15 El Greco paintings as well as others by Goya, Ribera etc. It also had artefacts from the prehistoric, Visigoth, Roman and Moorish times. One of these was the marble top of a well from the Moorish era. There were deep grooves in the sides of the well where the ropes used to bring up the water had worn away the marble.

At one of the windows of the museum you could see the marks and holes that bullets had made in the metal window bars during a fierce battle in the Spanish Civil War. The battle was between Franco’s men in the Alcazar across the way and the Republican forces in the (now) museum.

From here we set off down the hill to look at the Roman Bridge (Puente de Alcantara). This poor bridge has had an interesting life. The Moors destroyed part of it in the 13th century. It was rebuilt in the 16th century only to be partly destroyed by the Spanish to stop the Portuguese and then repaired in the 18th century to be blown up by the French in the early 1800s and again repaired later that century. Not sure how much of it is Roman now but the repairs appear to have kept to the Roman style and possibly their plans. It is a miracle it still exists. It is only used for foot traffic now.

We had then planned to go on the Zocotren (Tourist train) which ran around the narrow streets of Toledo. We got to the plaza about 10 minutes before it left but it was full so we walked back to the hotel. On the way we stopped in at an artisans workshop and purchased an etching of the Alcazar and the bridge mentioned above. We may be going back for some more of their handiwork tomorrow.

Went out for a snack and drink at 9pm. Getting used to this now.