El Escorial & Holy Toledo!

On Sunday we visited El Escorial, the complex situated 30 miles from Madrid built during the reign of King Philip II in the mid-sixteenth century.  El Escorial is all of a royal mausoleum, a basilica, a monastery, and a palace. 

Before making it to the complex, we stopped for paella, and enjoyed lunch so much that we ended up having to rush to make it into El Escorial before they stopped selling tickets for the day!

Unfortunately we were unable to take pictures inside, but it really was a spectacular space containing royal sleeping quarters, curated gardens, an extensive art collection (we learned later that many of the best paintings in the Prado spent time at El Escorial under the King's approving eye), and most impressive of all was the King's Pantheon, which contains two dozen marble sepulchers where the kings of queens of Spain have been laid to rest.  Apparently there's a long waiting process to be accepted into the pantheon, not to mention the fact that they are almost out of room.  Before long they'll have to fashion a golden "No Vacancy" sign to hang on the door.

 

Later in the week we managed to meet up in Toledo (after taking different trains due to ticket/timing issues) to see the old capital and all of its art.  Toledo is still considered to be the religious capital of Spain, and is historically very accepting of all religions, supporting not only Christians but also people of Jewish and Muslim belief through the religious turmoil and persecution of the centuries.  It is thought that our phrase "Holy Toledo" comes from Spanish immigrants to America who used to make the exclamation in reference to their most holiest of cities.  This first photo is just the train station (imagine!), and the following one is the Museo de S. Cruz.

Within the museum there was a large collection of El Greco paintings, with this one of the Immaculate Conception being the most spectacular.  As it was his latest work, it is thought to be a culmination of his most particular techniques, including the elongation, vibrancy, and movement of figures, the transition between heaven and earth, and the intense emotionalism and spirituality exuded by Mary and the angels.

There was also an exhibit of pottery from various regions in Spain, so I "window shopped" my way through, and of course my favorite style was the most expensive, from Toledo.  Later, in an authentic, non-touristy store, I found a tiny bowl in this style that cost 100 euro.  It must be dipped in unicorn tears.

The cathedral was splendid, with incredible craftsmanship and expensive, ornate details.  I walked around the interior for a full five minutes with my jaw open before I could compose myself and actually read about it.  One interesting thing we learned is that cardinal's red hats hang above their graves until they "disintegrate".  It seemed tacky seeing these tattered red hats hanging all over the cathedral but at least they had a rational!  The choir had three levels of incredibly ornate narrative carvings and the four-story altar seemed to be entirely covered in gold.  One of the greatest perks was stumbling upon the "mini Prado" inside the sacristy that included works by Goya, El Greco, Velázquez, and Caravaggio. 

Here's one last shot of Toledo, with me and Shawn in front of the Alcázar, the city's fortress.