Family visit and Toledo

We were so lucky to have our family visiting us for 10 days in Madrid.  Adam, Dana, 15-month old Leo, Daniel and Sefi.  D and S stayed with us and A, D and L were in an apartment located in the same complex--very convenient.

Our first few days were spent wandering around and we re-visited the beautiful Retiro Park.

 Adam, Dana, Leo, me, Daniel and Sefi

Enjoying Retiro Park

A few days later, the whole crew (minus me--I had a 24-hour bug--all better now) went on a bus tour to Toledo, about an hour outside Madrid.  I hope to go on my own later in the month since they said it was a beautiful city and definitely worth a visit.

Although I didn't get to Toledo, here are some pictures that Miles took which I'll try to describe:

The bus dropped them off in a parking lot (see the bus in the bottom right-hand corner) and they went up many escalators to the top of the town.

They saw the Synagogue of Santa Maria La Blanca.  Its stylistic and cultural classification is unique as it was constructed under the Christian Kingdom of Castile by Islamic architects for Jewish use. It is considered a symbol of the cooperation that existed among the three cultures that populated the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages.  It was a synagogue for only 25 years.  Since then it has been a church and nothing remains of its Jewish origins.

Synagogue of Santa Maria La Blanca 

They also visited the El Transito Sepharic Museum, one of only 3 remaining old synagogues left in Spain.  The third is in Cordoba.  Stay tuned!

El Transito Sephardic Museum, known for beautiful interior stucco design

 Women's section

Here are some more Toledo street scenes.

Typical Moorish architecture (keyhole)

City Hall

 Interesting small streets everywhere

 Pretty building

 View from town

 Here comes the bride...

The cathedral of Toledo is one of the three 13th-century High Gothic cathedrals in Spain.

 Interior of the cathedral

Pipe organ

Murals in the halls of the cathedral 

Cathedral exterior

Back of Alcazar Army Museum