Toledo is perched atop a rocky mount with steep golden hills rising on either side, and is bound on three sides by the Tagus River. The walled town is a maze of streets and shops. Cars can only maneuver on some of the narrow streets. At times we had to jump into a doorway to let them pass! There was a festival on to celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi when we were there and the crowded streets were decorated with banners and flowers. We did a day trip from Madr...

When the romans arrived in 192 BC they built their stronghold, the Alcazar, on the highest point of rock. Later the town was held by the Visigoths, in the 8 th century by the Moors then conquered by the Spanish in 1058. Toledo became famous for its school of translators, who taught Arab medicine, law, culture and philosophy.