A Postscript on Toledo, Spain ...

While staying at the Hotel Cicneros we were told by the owner that a "private" (available only to hotel customers) museum was downstairs in a basement-like area that had been excavated over a 10-year period in order to reveal the masonry of an 11th century dwelling. Not only was I encouraged to be photographed "in costume," but we were able to see all kinds of memorabilia from times past, including many ancient swords. The picture below displays the "signature" of the mason who built the 11th-century wall, now exposed in the museum. (By the way, Nancy is barely visible on the 3rd floor balcony [far left] in the picture at the top.) -rw

Our Last Morning in Spain (Toledo)

On our last morning in Spain we had an 8:30 a.m. breakfast provided by the hotel and then were ready to tour the cathedral when it opened at 10. The cathedral was built in stages -- originally on the site of a Muslim mosque. It was spectacular, to say the least. Actually, one of the most impressive things about our tour was visiting a side chapel that would rival an art gallery anywhere. It had El Greco's originals of the 12 apostles (St. Paul pictured).

(It was really amazing to be able to walk around this room and marvel at the paintings displayed.) Another room contained "The Bible of St. Louis," dating from about 1230 A.D. It was presented to the Cathedral in Toledo and was intricate in detail and color.

We had obtained audio guides for the tour and thus were able to move from "number-to-number," listening to the descriptions provided. Cardinal Cisneros presided over something of a "remodel" of the Cathedral and was responsible for some of the most expensive and elaborate decor. Below are photos taken of the ceiling detail and the altar area.

All in all, we really appreciated the chance to tour one more European cathedral! As with many of the other cathedrals we visited, the rose window was worth more than a cursory gaze. -rw

Our Visit to Toledo (not in Ohio) ...

We traveled by train on New Year's Day from Cordoba to Toledo and checked-into the #1 recommended hotel in our guidebook, the Casa de Cisneros. The hotel is literally right adjacent to the Toledo Cathedral, and the hotel gets its name from Fr. Jimenez Cisneros who was named Archbishop of Toledo in 1495 and was elevated to the status of a cardinal in 1507. Cisneros had a rather lengthy tenure as archbishop

and was active in promoting missionary work, military campaigns in No. Africa, and the Spanish Inquisition. (We were told by the owner of the hotel that a part of our building was once used as a prison to house persons accused by the Inquisition.) And, we know that Cardinal Cisneros actually lived in the building in which we stayed over 5 centuries ago! I am pictured below overlooking a river gorge just below the Alcazar. -rw