Toledo, the city of three cultures

A mere 30 minutes away from Madrid, through the plains of the Castile-La Mancha, lies the historic walled city of Toledo. Located on a hilltop surrounded by the Tagus River, the old city looks majestically imposing from the outside, and proves to be culturally rich on the inside.

Toledo was the capital of Spain until the Moors conquered it in the 8th century. For nearly 500 years of Moorish rule, Toledo flourished as a cosmopolitan city where Moors, Christians and Jews co-existed in harmony. Hence the term "the city of three cultures." This melding of cultures is most obvious with the presence of a mosque, a church and a synagogue within the city.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is perfectly described as such: "Successively a Roman municipium, the capital of the Visigothic Kingdom, a fortress of the Emirate of Cordoba, an outpost of the Christian kingdoms fighting the Moors and, in the 16th century, the temporary seat of supreme power under Charles V, Toledo is the repository of more than 2,000 years of history. Its masterpieces are the product of heterogeneous civilizations in an environment where the existence of three major religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – was a major factor."

Walking into the city felt like trip back to the medieval ages. The entrances are flanked by stone archways, bridges and wall remains. At the north entrance is the new Puerta de Bisagra, which is of Moorish origin but built in 1559 sporting the emperor's coat of arms. After entering, you'll see the walls and towers of the old Puerta de Bisagra (pictured on the right), which is the only remaining Moorish gate in the city.

Visiting on a Monday - when most things were closed - probably wasn't the best idea, but that was all we had. We hiked up the winding cobbled roads up to Plaza de Zocodover (the main square), past the imposing Alcázar fortress (a former Roman palace, now a library and a museum), and drank in the vista and the steep gorge and river below.

We made it to the Catedral de Toledo, considered the masterpiece of High Gothic. Incredible detailed carvings on the outside, and jaw-dropping stained glass windows, high ceilings and chapels on the inside. We were awestruck by the abundance of gold (check out this 500-pound, 10-foot-high, 15th century gilded monstrance!), and geeked out on the Chapter House featuring portraits of all Spanish archbishops to present day. We couldn't take photos inside, so go take a look. (We wanted to respect the rules here, even amidst many other rude tourists that would surreptitiously snap a photo from under their jackets. Not that we would've done it justice anyway.)

During siesta, we purposely got ourselves lost within the residential neighborhood's narrow alleys. Up and down hilly streets we went. I felt like an intruder every time we passed by locals because that area was so...un-touristy. Within the narrow alleys we found many gift shops selling swords, knives, ceramics, etc. Completely invisible if one doesn't wander off the main drag. How in the world would tourists ever find these shops?!

By the way, Toledo has been the sword-making capital of the world since medieval times. Also, Toledo is considered the world's largest producer of damascene ware. Damascene is the ancient Moorish art of decorating non-precious metals with gold. These are not on the cheap side, and only rightly so.

On food: Found an empty restaurant just around the corner from the cathedral. Toledo is famous for roast meats and stews like roast lamb, roast pig, and partridge stew. I had  chicken asado (roasted chicken) and it was literally half a chicken. My husband had a stew with all sorts of unrecognizable bits (innards, perhaps). They're also known for marzipan, a sweet treat made of almond paste and different types of sugars.

On our hike back down to the train station, we enjoyed a late afternoon sun-drenched panoramic view of modern Toledo beyond the historic walls.

All in all, Toledo has the most fascinating history, drop dead gorgeous views, and it's small enough that you can walk the entire city in a day. I think we may have walked about 10-12 miles total on this trip. We were completely wiped out and slept through the train ride back to Madrid.