Paris1972-Versailles2003

I always prefer the car for long hauls on land. However, as anybody living in Europe can tell you, the trains are in, as well as tramways, buses, metros etc etc, done them all over the years. One reason I can write/talk about it well. Of course, nothing beats the view driving into Toledo !! Let me tell you a bit on driving into Toledo !!!

Toledo is about 71 km (about 44 miles) from Madrid. From Toledo part the N-400, which connects this city with Cuenca by Ocaña and Tarancón.  There is now an excellent  A-40 autovía de la Meseta Sur,(old autovia de Castilla La Mancha)  that unites Avila with Maqueda (where it links with the Extremadura highway), Toledo, Ocaña (where it joins the highway of Andalusia), Tarancón (where it connects with the highway of Levante, Valencia), Cuenca and Teruel. A former national road 401 Madrid-Toledo-Ciudad Real was transformed at the end of the decade of 1980 in the current A-42.

I have done the driving from Madrid , but the last time was from Cuenca on the A40 (autovía de la Meseta Sur) direction Toledo/Madrid before getting off on the N400 for Toledo. Thus, getting to Toledo from Madrid by car is easy and fast.  To drive to Toledo, by road from the North, the main communication routes are the AP-41 (Madrid-Toledo Toll Highway) and the A-42 or Toledo Highway. From the South, the A-4 (Madrid-Cádiz highway), the CM-42 (Los Viñedos highway), or the N-401 from Ciudad Real. To get there by road from the West, its natural link is the A5 (Madrid-Badajoz motorway), currently connecting via the N-403, until the works on the A-40 are completed. Finally, the routes to the East or Levante are the A-3 (Madrid-Valencia motorway) and the N-400, as a link to Toledo.

The A40 route currently defined is the one that goes from the autovia A-5  in Maqueda to Cuenca, of which about 170 km are open to traffic, divided into two discontinuous sections.  From Maqueda to the Northwest junction of Toledo, the hightway has been designed as a variant of the current N-403, except for the Torrijos ring road, whose route it takes advantage of. From the A-4 motorway to Tarancón, where it connects with the A- 3 (Madrid-Valencia) and from there to Cuenca, the highway has been designed as a variant of the current N-400, which has remained a service road for most of its length.

Now you have very good signage to get you into Toledo, but once you get there ,the idea is find a nice parking and walk the city! Some of the paying parkings I like over the years have been the Parking Miradero Calle Gerardo Lobo, S/N  ,and Garaje Santo Tomé Calle Santa Ursula, 3. However, fine tuning over the years we took on and continue to use the Parking Corralillo San Miguel ,Paseo del Corralillo San Miguel s/n. You can get to it coming on the A42 go over the Tajo river and turn immediately left into Avenue de Castilla La Mancha (the Tajo river will be on your left), this same road becomes name Paseo de Cabestreros you will see a rocky hill wall on your right and bear right into Calle de la Candelaria and then immediately right into Paseo del Corralillo de San Miguel, and the parking entrance is straight ahead on your right hand side . To pedestrian exit you go up and be on the back of the Alcazar and Army museum! And right into the old town!

Now we have tried the free parkings but there are more inconvenient for walking into old town me think. They are the Parking Azarquiel . It is on the other side of the bridge of the same name, about a 12-minute walk from the center. Near the train station, a bit further away, is the Parking Saba.By popular demand, of the free parking the best is the Parking Safont. It is right in front of the bus station, so then you will have to get to the center which from the Toledo bus station get on  Avenida Castilla La Mancha, about 10 minutes walk from Plaza Zocodover. You need to access the escalators, or Safont ski lift, to go up to the historic center of Toledo.

The General trafic Directorat see provincia and put Toledo, then click buscar : http://infocar.dgt.es/etraffic/

The Turriano road trafic and parkings in city of Toledo: http://www.turriano.org/ 

Best to browse the above two sites before coming and have a bearing on the traffic and parking. And of course, the tourist offices.

The Toledo tourist office on their locations: https://turismo.toledo.es/recursos/oficinas-de-turismo.html

The Castilla La Mancha region tourist office on Toledo: http://en.www.turismocastillalamancha.es/patrimonio/toledo/

There you go folks,  another easy trip to a wonderful huge city to be a must to visit while in Spain.  Toledo is indeed a require visit in Spain. Be happy with the road warrior and the above info, if in doubt ask me. Again, enjoy the post as I.  

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

And here I go again , finding treasures in my vault of pictures that have not told you about it and I should. These are wonderful memorable moments of my family travels, and that is the essence of my blog. Therefore, without further due , let me tell you about a hospital and castle in Toledo !!!

The Hospital Provincial of Toledo is located at the Subida Castillo San Servando near the castle, see below, The Provincial Hospital serves the Toledo Psychiatry field of action, being an agency dependent on the Toledo Provincial Council. Therefore, not something you come to see, but an off the beaten path wonderful architecture and history to merit a passedby , me think, The Hospital Provincial was created in 1931 and opened January 20 1933, It covers an area of more than 3,000 m2 of gardens and 4,000 m2 of green areas.

A bit of history I like tell us that its foundation is prior to 1445, although this date is considered as the beginning of its journey since it is from this moment when it gains new impetus, Regarding its character as a general hospital, the Hospital de la Misericordia or Mercy Hospital , since its foundation, was destined to cure to ‘poor sick and wounded’; those carriers of contagious and chronic diseases are excepted. Later, from 1847, all kinds of diseases are treated, except syphilis and childbirth. Finally, when the Hospital becomes dependent on the Diputación de Toledo or province in 1860, any patient is accepted in it with no other limitation than their poverty.

In addition, the Hospital de la Misericordia is the only existing general public hospital for health care in Toledo and its province from the time the Charity was organized until the Social Security was created and the Sanitary Residence was inaugurated. The Hospital de la Misericordia was born as a charitable-welfare institution during the first third of the 15C in the city of Toledo, having its first manifestations in the charitable practice exercised by a community of brothers without being able to specify the exact date of its beginning. The first time it is mentioned in the preserved documentation is in 1429, when a donation of a vineyard located in the Toledo area,to the brothers of the Hospital of Señora Santa María de la Misericordia (old full name) . Its foundation is attributed to an important donation in 1455 thus giving support and definitive consistency to the establishment. Governed jointly by the cathedral chapter and a secular brotherhood, it became one of the best-endowed charity centers and one of the most important. After the confiscation laws of the first half of the 19C (sep State and Church) , it came to depend on the Charity Boards created for this purpose, first of the Municipal, in 1840, later of the Provincial, in 1860, being governed by the latter until 1868, date in which, by Royal Decree of December 17, said Boards were abolished, entrusting the government and administration of charitable foundations at the provincial level to the Provincial Councils. Today it is known as the Hospital Provincial.

The health section of the Castilla La Mancha region on the hospital provincial: https://sanidad.castillalamancha.es/ciudadanos/centros/hospital-provincial#zoom=15&lat=39.8613&lon=-4.01331&layers=BT

The castle of San Servando is located next to the banks of the Tagus river. Its construction as a monastery began in 1024, in the time of Alfonso VI. In 1088 it became a fortress due to the threat from the Christian kingdom and the possible entry of Muslims through the Alcántara bridge. In 1147 , the castle was taken back from the hands of the Moors. With the total expulsion of the Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula, the fortress gradually lost its defense function, being relegated to oblivion.  

A bit of history I like tell us that its reconstruction is documented around March 11, 1088, with the reconquest of the city by Alfonso VI, giving the name of the fortress to San Servando and San Germán, in gratitude to these saints because in the Battle of Sagrajas on March 23 October 1086, the feast of these martyrs, before the Almoravid troops of Yúsuf ibn Tasufín, he miraculously escaped in a desperate flight due to the defeat suffered. This name would be due to a nearby monastery (where the Provincial Hospital is today see above)), granted to the Benedictines in 1095 and to which monks from the abbey of Saint Victor in Marseille would arrive, who, due to the pressure exerted by the Muslims, would abandon it in 1110.

Faced with the threat of an auction and that the end of the castle would be its total demolition for the sale of the materials, the Provincial Monuments Commission, supported by the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, obtained its declaration as a national monument on 08/26/ 1874, being the first castle in Spain to receive this distinction, After small restoration interventions in 1911 and 1920, and in 1945 with a complete restoration undertaken with the aim of housing a minor school, which was inaugurated in 1958. Although the appearance and exterior perimeter were respected, inside, which was not preserved nothing original, a series of rooms were built in a too modern style, which is what is currently preserved as a hostel belonging to the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha.

In the 21C, the castle of San Servando was completely restored and, after successively serving as a minor school, seat of the Cortes de Castilla-La Mancha (parliament) and a university residence, it now serves as a hostel and a venue for courses and conferences. From the castle you can see a panoramic view of the city of Toledo and the Tagus, the river that borders it, in what was the medieval citadel.

The Castilla La Mancha region cultural heritage on the castle: https://cultura.castillalamancha.es/patrimonio/catalogo-patrimonio-cultural/castillo-de-san-servando-de-toledo

There you go folks, something off the beaten path in glorious Toledo, a city must to visit while in Spain at least. These buildings are part of its history with great architecture and we were glad to walked by them. Hope you enjoy the post on the hospital and castle in Toledo as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

I have been here since youthful days and never a dull moment in magical Toledo. I have several posts on the City but forgot again to mention this wonderful area of the City. Therefore with new text and older pictures but new in my blog, let me tell you about the Parque de la Vega of Toledo !!. This is Toledo, the magical blend of Spain! In the dream lands of Castilla La Mancha !!

The Parque de la Vega is located outside the city walls, between the Puerta de Bisagra and the Tavera Hospital. It is one of the main green lungs of Toledo. It is also known for the Paseo de Merchán, It is a very lively walk where you can enjoy chocolate with churros, horchata or granita, an appetizer… sitting on its many terraces. There are also many sporting events, music festivals, cultural events, the ice rink, temporary exhibitions, etc. Within the wooded area of ​​this park-promenade we find the mythical Casa del Corcho or cork house, which in its day was the home of the park ranger’s family. The ranger’s home was built at the end of the 19C. It is of a romantic and rustic style, in which cork predominates in its construction. It is perfectly integrated into the vegetation of the park and was restored in recent years.

In the Parque de la Vega park you will find a tourist office kiosk, public baths, games and rides for children, benches and tree-lined avenues. But above all, are very popular among Toledo, especially in summer, the outdoor kiosks that prepare two very specific drinks: the “horchata” and “merengata leche” (milk meringue). The first is obtained by squeezing the fruit of tigernuts, the second is a fragrant meringue sweet milk porridge. The park is also known as the parque mercadillo del Martes or Tuesday market park, having been the place where breakfast is served on Tuesdays at the Toledo General Market. The small architectural element of the pavillion of music or kiosk ,that was built with a social desire to democratize music for the people and make the late walks so typical in Spain at the end of the 19C more bearable. The pavilion was built in 1989 as a result of the remodeling of the park.

Until in 1538 Marshal Pedro de Navarra y de la Cueva ordered the leveling of the area so that it could be used to hold tournaments, games, parades and acts of royalty and nobility. Due to who ordered its construction, it received the name of Paseo del Mariscal, which was derived in similar phonetic compositions until reaching the name that endures today of Paseo de Merchán. The people of Toledo identify it as Parque de la Vega.

The Toledo tourist office on its heritage: https://turismo.toledo.es/recursos/museos-y-monumentos.html

Unfortunately my description above comes from memory or reading Spanish language publications as there is no official city , province or region description of this park. Anyway, it is a nice place to stop by for a peaceful rest and see the ramparts from outside, awesome! The nearby Puerta de Bisagra and Tavera Hospital/museum (see posts) are worth the detour to the Parque de la Vega of Toledo !!

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!