Tolado is an old walled city on the River Tagus which wraps around it, making it almost an island. Tolado has a history of more that 2000 years and has Roman, Visigoth, Christian, Jewish and Muslim influences. It was once the home of the Spanish court.
We stayed at the Parador hotel, which is on a hill overlooking the city. The Parador hotels are nearly all in historic buildings and are owned by the Spanish government. They have large and comfortable bedrooms and our room had a big terrace.
The terrace of the Tolado Parador has the best view of Tolado:
The only problem is that the entrances to the city are not near the hotel and there are no buses up the hill, so taxis are needed.
One of the most dominant buildings from the terrace is the Alcázar which dates back to the 3rd century when it was a roman palace.
It has been rebuilt several times, the last being after the Spanish civil war. It is now a library which is open to the public and from which there are good views.
The magnificent cathedral is the second building that dominates the skyline. It is huge.
To enter the city, you need to cross one of the bridges. Some of these are very old and are now pedestrian only. The signs of the defences are still visible. This is the Puente Saint Martin which was built in the 14th century.
Another old bridge is the Puente de Alcántara.
The entrance through the city walls.
We enjoyed walking around the narrow streets and along the edge of the river.
A highlight was a visit to the Cathedral. We tried to get in on several occasions, but it was closed. We even followed a group of priests round the outside, thinking that they must know the way in, but they disappeared into a bar! However, on Saturday we were lucky. We arrived outside the cathedral where we saw a crowd waiting and then a parade coming towards us. The tall 'man' is the painter El Greco, there are many of this works in the cathedral.
We found the now open entrance and went in. It is one of the most beautiful churches we have seen and has many treasures, including a number of El Grecos and works of other artists.
The cloisters
A 13th century crown
The town square is close to the cathedral. The taxi rank is there, so we had to learn its almost unpronounceable name, Zocodover. The first syllable is the most difficult with no English equivalent.
This is the square
Some night scenes
Pat and John on tour
