Toledo is pure fantasy. From its perch on a hillside overlooking a bend in the Rio Tagus, the city doesnât feel like stepping into a time machine as much as a different reality. Where Europe feels special because there are tokens of history all around, your surroundings in Toledo are mostly more than hundreds of years old. Itâs not just some things that have survived; youâre walking into pretty much the same city that spent time as one of the capitals of Europe from the Holy Roman Empire to the late Middle Ages.
As special as it is to walk around Toledo, the best view is from across the valley, from an overlook called Mirador del Valle (literally, just âthe view from the valleyâ). Itâs a fairly easy 20-30 minute walk from the Puente de AlcĂĄntara, a Roman bridge that was last rebuilt about 1,100 years ago that we took into the city from the train station. The walk to Mirador del Valle takes about as long as it does to ride the AVE from Madrid, but you wonât hit 190mph on the road.
This was our last full day in Spain. I canât think of a better backdrop for reflecting on the trip, and a better view to keep with us until we can return.
