Holy Toledo!

Toledo has everything you could possibly wish for in an ancient, scenic hillside town.  Occupied by the Romans, the Visigoths, the Moors, and (at one point) the capital of the Spanish Empire, it is a city rich in cultural history and a center for Muslim, Jewish, and Christian worship.  It truly lives up to it's title as "Holy Toledo" and a person could spend days exploring the hundreds of churches, cathedrals, monasteries, former mosques, and synagogues that abound on every street.

As you leave the modern town, an arched bridge carries you over the Tajo river to the medieval walls, ramparts, and imposing gates of the old city.  From here, labyrinthine streets wind almost vertically to the hilltop Alcazar above you.  You enter a different world among the twisted, narrow, cobblestoned alleys.  History seeps from the walls and you can easily imagine an armored knight on horseback just around the corner, or the sounds of clattering cart wheels and clinking swords.  You may be momentarily disconcerted when a very modern car turns the corner instead, breaking into your little medieval reverie.  But you are sure to fall in love with this amazing little town almost immediately. (BTW: Toledo has always been known for its swords, and you can still buy one here if you can figure out how to get it home.)

Forget the map.  Just pick a direction and wind your way along it.  You might feel a little like a mouse in a cheese maze, but you're bound to end up somewhere interesting, and at any moment a sudden turn in the road might just reward you with a fantastic view over the surrounding countryside.

Don't forget the Catedral.  I won't even try to do it justice in writing (a great cathedral can't be described, it has to be felt), but it is immense, overwhelming, lavishly decorated and carved, and yet at the same time beautiful in its simplicity.  The carved wooden choir is possibly the most exquisite piece of art I've ever seen.  You'll leave a little humbler and with a bit of a crick in the neck.

At night, take the mechanical steps up to the top for a whole new perspective as the lights of the modern town spread out as far as the eye can see.  Then wander toward the Cathedral again to get lost in the crowds that appear unexpectedly to eat and shop along the narrow streets.  As you leave, you can't imagine what it would be like to live there, but you kind of wish you could.