Catedral de Toledo

With only three hours to spare I made my made the objective to visit the Catedral de Toledo. It was well worth the visit. This Cathedral has the most spectacular interior. The exterior is mostly just walls and the entrances. The interior however is one of the most spectacular I have seen - as spectacular as the interior of Basilica San Marco in Venice (where you are not allowed to take pictures).
The Cathedral is primarily Gothic. But since it took more than 250 years to build (1226-1495) with continued embellishments after that (every archbishop wanted to leave his imprint). It is a mix of styles, including Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical. Circling the interior are ornate chapels purchased by the town’s noble families. The Sacristy has its world-class collection of famous artists.

First day in Madrid

The fast train from Barcelona was travelling at 300 KM per hour at times but only took about 2 1/2 hrs.

As in Barcelona I hired a personal tour guide to tour the center of Madrid.  I also needed help plan the rest of the week - to get tickets at Teatro Real, to decide where to do side trips (Toledo and Segovia), how to get to different railway stations, how to travel on the Metros, how to get to the airport, finding a map etc.

My personal guide Jorge was most helpful and while doing the tour we covered the tumultous history of the Iberian peninsular and Spain. Madrid history includes the Roman occupation, the Moors (Muslims), the Christians including the Inquisition, the Jews, the Hapsburg Monarchy, the Bourbon Monarchy, the Civil War (1936-1939 - Madrid was the center of the Republicans and was bombed by Franco’s military), the Franco dictatorship and now the post Franco and post 2008 economic downturn eras. Jorge said I was staying in the Gay area (I quickly told him I was not Gay!). It is an area that used to be "rough" and has been renovated since the Franco era - now full of many shops and restaurants. I learned that the current minority Spanish Government (essentially a federation of states like Canada) is debating and hoping to bring in Proportional Representation.  

Here are a few pictures from the day.

The Royal Palace (Bourbon Monarchy).

The Parliament Buildings and a demonstration in process.

City Hall (local government)