ToledoToledo is only around 50 kilometers from the city center of Madrid. We can see from this map that Toledo is no a big city. The Visigoths chose it in 567 to serve as its capital. If we can see this city from a bird’s-eye view, we will notice that the city is atop a mountain with three sides surrounded by the Tagus River. We can see how it was strategically important during wartimes, especially before guns and canons. But a millennium later in 1561, this advantageous terrain restrained Toledo’s growth and can no longer serve as the capital of Spain. It was thus replaced by Madrid, but with its deep and rich culture, it was declared a World Heritage Site. The authentic city is still carefully preserved, and people who wanted to build new houses had to replicate that vintage building style.Because Spain was close to Morocco in Africa and the mountain range Pyrenees separates Spain from the main part of Europe, Spain has its own blend of cultures. This city has also seen the peaceful coexistence of Christianity, Jewish and Islamic religion. That is why this small town attracts so many tourists.

The Catedral de ToledoThis Cathedral was constructed between the 12th and the 14th century, and it took 267 years for the whole construction to complete. In the front of the church there are two towers, the left one with a gothic style flame-like spire ( it serves

as a bell tower), the right one with a Renaissance style dome tower, originally a Mozarabic chapel. Which makes it amazingly asymmetric but still extremely majestic.

The three entrances from left to right are respectfully the Portal of Hell, the Portal of Forgiveness and the Portal of the Last Judgment ( these doors are closed except on special occasions nowadays).

The interior of the Cathedral is even more breath taking, it consists of 5 rooms and was supported by 88 massive columns. Its colorful glass was inlayed during different times which makes them even more enjoyable. The sculptures, paintings, and murals are breathtaking. Prepare to be enchanted!

Iglesia de Santo Tomé & The Burial of the Count of

Orgaz Iglesia de Santo Tomé is a church that is originally a mosque, and the Count of Orgaz renovated it in the 14th century in a gothic style and added some Mudéjar towers. We can see how it’s different from the churches we usually see because of its horseshoe –shaped arcs and its decorations. This is another evidence of Spain’s multi-culturalness. This church keeps and displays El Greco's famous painting The Burial of the Count of Orgaz. The count was important to the people of Toledo because he was a knight and a philanthropist. This painting is mind-blowing because it seems to unite Heaven and Earth. It is also special because every single person in this painting is a actual person, while El Greco completely imagines the scene!

This place called La Casa Del Mazapán is outside the Catedral

de Toledo. This place sells marzipans, which is a very traditional food made up of only almonds, sugar, eggs and honey (this means that they are super SWEET!). It can be

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Burial_of_the_Count_of_Orgaz#/media/File:El_Greco_-_The_Burial_of_the_Count_of_Orgaz.JPGhttp://blog.163.com/shenwen_2010/blog/static/13985401020165194124813/https://www.pinterest.com/pin/61713457374075668/https://www.pinterest.com/pin/170925748333207257/http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/toledo-e-cast-tol.htmAlexander, Lisa. "15 Top Tourist Attractions in Toledo & Easy Day Trips | PlanetWare." PlanetWare.com. PlanetWare Inc, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2017. Web.晚霞映天. "西班牙古都托雷多大教堂." Blog post. 晚霞映天的博客. 网易, 1 June 2016. Web. 14 Mar. 2017."Marzipan." BBC Good Food. BBC WorldWide, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.林, 达. 西班牙旅行笔记. 北京: 生活读书新知三联书店, 2015. Print.

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scented using vanilla, cinnamon and other spices. It can also be colored and baked into the shapes of fruits, flowers and animals.