Toledo - Spain [antikvár]

toledo and its countrysideSeventy kilometres from Madrid, the Imperial City of Toledo rises heavenwards, immersed in an atmosphere of violent light. It sprawls over an enormous crag that seems to be challenging space, while the fast-flowing River Tagus surrounds the city in a tight curve as though the ancient walls were anchored in this natural moat. The silhouette of the city stands out in sharp relief against a background formed by the crest of the encircling hills and more distant ranges of hills and mountains. In the words of Cossio, Toledo is the city which presents the most complete and characteristic ensemble of all that the genuinely Spanish land and civilization have ever been. It is the most perfect epitome, the most brilliant and evocative summary, of Spain's history. So, a traveller who can only spend a single day in Spain ought, without hesitating, to spend it seeing Toledo. The sight of it gives an impression of firmness and dynamism at the same time, with its amphitheatre of heights and the circular fosse carved out by the Tagus. The. presence of Castile can be felt, but above all, the spirit of Castile.in P"'