Our school trip to Toledo


Reyes Clemente 2008-05-01

View of Toledo photographed from the Parador
Bild:Jonas Ahlund
View of Toledo photographed from the Parador

To begin with I must say this has been a most enriching experience, in which the people involved - Turkish, Swedish and Spanish - exchanged views of life and of culture in a friendly atmosphere.

The journey to Toledo was short: in less than an hour we arrived at the Parador, where we shared a beautiful view of the city while Juan Pedro, the history teacher, talked about the mixture of cultures that coexisted in Toledo through the ages. Muslims, Arabs and Christians once inhabited the city, in a time where Toledo was the capital of Spain.

After this magnificent view we entered the town through the gate of San Martín and crossed one of the bridges over the river Tagus. We made our way through narrow medieval alleys, passing buildings like San Juan de los Reyes as we were going towards the Jewish Quarter.

We visited the Synagogue of El Tránsito, which has now been made into a museum. Our next stop was the Cathedral, known worldwide for being one of the masterpieces of gothic architecture and in which Arabic motives can be seen.

After lunch

Time to leave Toledo
Bild:Jonas Ahlund
Time to leave Toledo

After lunch we enjoyed a guided visit through the town. The guide led us through tight streets, explaining the history of some of them, getting us into the church of San Clemente, where we could admire as three different cultures, Christians, Muslims and Arabs lived peacefully together so long ago. That was an impressive visit.

Then she took us to another place, an old mosque, known today as Cristo de la Luz, now closed to the public due to some excavations works. Finally we left the city through another important gate, la Puerta del Sol, where our bus was waiting for us.

The bus headed back to Getafe and we put an end to our trip. A trip that will always remain a pleasant memory for all of us.

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