Toledo Walks
The weather forecast promised comfortable temperatures and sunshine, so we decided to walk to Mirador del Valle, a scenic overlook on the other side of the Tagus River.
From our hotel, we walked down the hill and along the river, around the base of the city. We walked across the river on the Juanelo Bridge, on the east side of Toledo. At first, as we looked back at the city, we could see only the Alcazár, high up on the hill. We continued along the river as the road climbed gently, past a grove of almond trees in late bloom, and the Toledo Cathedral came into view. After enjoying the views at the mirador, we followed the curve of the river back to the city, crossing the medieval San Martin bridge with its fortification towers, on the west side of Toledo.
On another nice day, we decided to walk to the train station that had captivated us on our arrival in Toledo. On the way, we stopped at the Alcazár of Toledo, at the top of the hill. We skipped the Army Museum and visited the Public Library, which has a cafeteria in one of the towers. We enjoyed the sweeping views of Toledo from the windows in the tower - very different from those we had seen from across the river. We left the tower and walked through part of the library, admiring the row of windows with comfortable chairs for reading. It was fitting that after visiting the library, we encountered a statue of Miguel de Cervantes just outside Plaza Zocodover. His masterpiece Don Quixote is considered to be the first modern novel.
From Plaza Zocodover, we walked down the hill to the river and crossed the Bridge of Alcántara, built by the Romans. From there, we could look back and view the Alcazár from a different angle. After rounding a curve, we could finally see the beautiful railway station of Toledo. It was built in 1858, in Neo-Mudejár style. From this station, all trains go to Madrid! They depart every hour, reaching Madrid in just 30 minutes, a journey that takes at least an hour by car.
We retraced our steps and returned to the city center via the Bridge of Alcántara. This time we rode some escalators to the top of the hill, just for something different. It had been another great walk in Toledo.
