We took the local bus number 5 to downtown Toledo right after alighting the AVANT train at Toledo train station. After reading some information on the internet, some suggested that it is better to take a taxi or a bus to go right to downtown Toledo first.
This is because downtown Toledo is situated right up the hill. My husband suggested that we walked up but I thought that it was better to scan the area first because I had to save my energy for the long walks later. ^^ It is better to walk down than up the hill, right? The lazy me.
Zocodover Plaza
The local bus number 5 took about 10 minutes to reach Zocodover Plaza. It passes by the Toledo bus station initially (we walked from the bus station to the train station for 10 minutes).
Then it passes the main gate of Toledo where I saw a group of Asian tourist taking pictures there and then the bus starts to rattle noisily as it wheels hit the pebbled road going up the hill.
There were five Italian ladies sitting next to us on the bus and surprisingly I could guess that they were Italians. Italian language indeed has some similar words with Spanish.
I love their Italian accent. Oh Mamma Mia! (In Spanish...Madre Mia!)
Alcazar (Military Museum)
We were quite confused when everyone alighted at Zocodover Plaza. As the building on the left is historically aesthetic, so I assumed that it was the church.
Actually it is the Alcazar (Military Museum). Oh...nevermind. From there on we started our walking tour (without the map assistance initially) to explore the area.
Be brave and get yourself lost around the beautiful buildings. You will not be disappointed. But then again, if I want to compare Toledo to Granada; I still prefer Granada.
When we walked up the hill, we saw a souvenir shop selling many swords and blades. There are so beautiful! We took some pictures with them and then just take the next alley towards an unknown mysterious territory. Hehe..
There is this building which has some wooden roof and I thought it has some chinese influence. My husband said no. It is actually Islamic architecture. There are many similar roofs in Morocco. Well, I think it is a fact that Toledo used to be governed by the Muslims. Hence the architecture.
I fell in love with the wooden doors design too. There are simple yet beautifully crafted. If I have the chance to go to Morocco one day (Bi iznillah) perhaps I would be able to see the more aesthetically crafted doors like for example in Fez.
Most of the roads in Toledo are lined with pebbled stones. Pretty much like in Albaizin, Granada but not so much in Cordoba. We came fully prepared with the right walking shoes.
I have used mine close to two years and this Clarks shoes just ooz coziness (Look for the 'Unstructured' model; not so feminine but so comfy). However, while under the heat of the sun after about seven hours of walking we had our lovely blisters on our heels.
Be prepared with some band aid.
The maximum temperature in Toledo on 23rd July of 2016 was 35 Celcius. Compared to Malaysia, it is normal right? But Spain has mediterranean weather. Humidity is very low. My nose and my skin were dry. It was as if I'm exhaling hot, dry air in my throat and my nose.
We drank plenty of plain water to offset the heat! A bottle of 1.5 liter mineral water is about 1 to 1.20 euro.
Then we passed by this building; Teatro de Rojas. It looks pretty new to me. My husband said that Toledo looks very different now then 15 years ago. So many new changes and add-on to the city.
This signboard is located just across Teatro de Rojas. We had to find the cathedral by this time to grab our map as our reference to stop walking blind endlessly. ^^
And then...ahah! We found the cathedral by accident but this is not the main door. After walking a full circle we found the main door and the main Toledo Tourist Information Center.
Till then..~~