Tag: spain

Postcard from Toledo, Spain: A Cathedral fit for a royal capital

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When Alfonso VI (1040-1109) of Castile captured Toledo from the Moors in 1085, he made the hilltop city his capital. Although royals moved their seats around Spain and Portugal, the city benefitted from the rule of numerous kings.

Construction of the city’s Gothic Cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, was begun in 1227. The main six-story central carved altar, bookended by royal tombs, was added around the year 1500.

Felipe II (1527-1598) stroke a blow signaling the city’s decline in importance when he moved the capital permanently to Madrid in 1561.

Although Toledo’s population is around 80,000, every day thousands of visitors jostle through the crowds filling the narrow streets in the historic part of the city to tour the Cathedral. Fortunately, there is ample room inside to accommodate a crowd. The main nave alone is both longer and wider than an NFL football field.

When we were in the Cathedral, most of the area near the main altar was roped off for temporary seating for an evening organ concert. Disappointing yes, but, holy Toledo, the pipes resounding through that enormous space must have been magnificent.

Postcard from Madrid, Spain: No Cibeles selfies posted here

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The star spot for selfie-snappers visiting Madrid, Plaza de Cibeles, was a block from our apartment. So many people pause for photos on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the plaza from Palacio de Cibeles that there is always someone nearby hawking extender sticks to improve the composition of selfies.

We circled the enormous plaza so many times during our stay, I thought we forgot to even take a photo of the gleaming off-white building erected at the beginning of the 20th century. Originally housing the main post office and telecommunications, the elegant building recently was remodeled dramatically to serve as City Hall and a cultural center, Centro Centro, showcasing contemporary art exhibits and offering sofa-filled areas with Wi-Fi access. The wedding cake center is topped with terraces offering commanding views of the city.

At the center of the plaza is a fountain and sculpture of Cybele driving a chariot drawn by a pair of lions, formerly a lusty human couple who dishonored the goddess by having sex in her temple. Cybele’s followers in ancient Greece were cult-like, and she continues to earn many exuberant fans during her residency in contemporary Madrid.

The soccer club Real Madrid considers her a patroness, honoring her by draping her with their team flag when they are victorious. Players and their legions of fans swarm into the plaza for rambunctious post-game celebrations.

Hope they all keep their passions in check, lest their inappropriate behavior offend the patroness capable of transforming them into another pair of stony lions permanently harnessed to her chariot.

As for us, our-selfies never managed to slip into camera range.

Postcard from Madrid, Spain: Trying to absorb the history of man in a day

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In 1867, Queen Isabella II (1830-1904) founded the Museo Arqueologico Nacional (MAN), partially in recognition of the need to protect Spain’s historical artifacts from political turmoil. The preservation of the cultural heritage of the country proved easier than the protection of her own rule. A revolt pushed the queen into exile in France the following year, and she wound up abdicating the throne in favor of one of her sons.

MAN traces the history of man in Spain from his earliest known origins and also includes extensive displays of ancient archaeological treasures from Egypt, the Near East and Greece.

The featured image is known as the Lady of Elche, dating from the 5th or 4th century B.C. The “lady” was found in Elche, located on the Mediterranean coast of Spain and continually impacted by waves of invaders from Greece, Carthage, Rome and the land of the Moors.

The main structure housing MAN dates from the 19th century, but the museum was closed for five years beginning in 2008 to dramatically modernize the space displaying more than 15,000 items.

Yes, it is totally overwhelming. Not realizing the immensity of the collection, we squandered time in the prehistoric section of relatively little interest to us and felt rushed in viewing the rest, all of it masterfully displayed.