EZ Honeymoon: Holy Toledo! Part 3 of 3
We started our first full day in Toledo fresh, fed, and better prepared. According to our sources, El Greco’s “The Burial of Count Orgaz” at the Iglesia Santo Tomé is the best tourist attraction to visit first thing in the morning. This is sound advice because the viewing space is very small, and contains only two paintings: the main attraction and one nobody was looking at. By waiting for five minutes before opening and buying tickets ahead of time (crucial to getting through the door first), we were the first people inside, and EZ managed to grab a decent picture of before they informed us that photography is prohibited. Within minutes, the room was full, and the people who came in after us had to wait for a spot to view the painting. Our visit only lasted 5-10 minutes because we were anxious to flee the swarming tourists.
EZ wanted to see the Sinagoga Santa Maria Blanca so we headed there to make sure we had ample time for our visit. We handed over our tickets purchased the evening before from the visitor stand in Plaza de Zocovoder, and the attendant told us we were early for our guided tour. (We unknowingly purchased a guided tour package, but had planned our day so that we missed all of the tour times. We decided in the end that this ticket package was not worth it because the restrictions did not make up for the moderate cost savings.)
We rearranged our stops in hopes of catching the tours at the synagogue and Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes, and decided to visit the Jesuit church, Iglesia de San Ildelfonso. The church is named after the former Visigoth bishop of Toledo, and the architecture and altars are beautiful.
In addition to the church’s beauty, the views from the tower are incredible. Evidently, the tower can become pretty busy so early in the day is a good time to visit; we had it to ourselves at around 10:30. After a few photos from atop the tower, we descended the staircase to enjoy a couple espressos before heading back to the synagogue.
The guided tour was still a couple hours away, so we decided to forgo it and experience the synagogue by ourselves. Regardless, the inside is absolutely beautiful, and EZ made the most of the natural light, while I marveled at how she lost herself in the camera lens patiently waiting for breaks in the tourists. She captured some wonderful photos conveying the size and architecture of the museum and former synagogue.
Barely missing the the guided tour at the monastery, we again explored on our own. Ferdinand and Isabella built the monastery, and it is every bit as beautiful as you would imagine the church built by the monarchs as their final resting place. We took a few pictures of the church, before before realizing the monastery as a whole was too large for our grumbling stomachs. There was a lot of intricate stonework, the pulpit caught my attention as an excellent example of this.
All of the carvings and windows were beautiful; however, this statue of Jesus was the most captivating. There is something moving in the imagery of Christ with skinned knees, wearing the crown of thorns, and seated on a throne of rocks.
While we were partly disappointed to leave without fully exploring the monastery, we both look forward to seeing it next time we are in Toledo. Committed to an actual meal, we decided to follow more of the sound travel advice in Maribel’s guides, and find someplace with a “menu del día.” Our host mentioned Afileritos 24 when we arrived, so we decided to go there for lunch.
As you can see, it was an excellent decision, and our server clued us in on the best place to pick up some ham to take with us for the road trip to Sevilla. We stopped at the “Mercado” in the Plaza Mayor, bought some ham, and made our way over to check out the cathedral before it closed. If you want to see the tower, know that they close it earlier than the rest of the church.
We left the cathedral for a sunset train tour, tapas, and a good night’s rest ahead of our first real day of driving.
EZ Honeymoon Series:
First Things First
Holy Toledo! Part 1
Holy Toledo! Part 2
This is awesome! Thank you for sharing. Love you both
Glad you are enjoying it. There is more to come, both from Spain and here in Charlotte.