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Wednesday, August 26, 2015

On to Toledo through Quixote country!

Our sojourn in the backroad towns of Iberia is almost over, so time to head for Madrid via Toledo. First, however, one must pass through a landscape of grapes and wheat, although the odd olive grove can still be seen. Scattered around are the ruins of hilltop castles and windmills, because, of course, this is Don Quixote country
.



The town of Puerto Lapice is given over wholeheartedly to the tourist in search of Don Quixote memorabilia and such


The Man Himself

Puerto Lapice church with Corpus Christi decoration in front


I was amused to see that overpass railings on the way to Madrid were painted various shades of purple!

Toledo was the first major city to fall during the Reconquista, which gives it a certain cache and a long history of fine blade making. There's been some kind of settlement here since the Bronze Age and today there are about 78,000 people living in the city. It's beautifully sited on a rise of land and bounded by the River Tagus:

The Alcantara Bridge

The Alcazar dominates the skyline


...along with the Castillo de San Servando

...and the Cathedral


If it hadn't been hotter than the hinges of hell that day, it would have been fun to wander about Toledo and just soak it all in. We did the best we could...

Some streets were decorated for Corpus Christi celebrations





The train station









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