RIFLE RANGE BOY: Toledo - the Land of Blades.

On the way to Granada, we made a half a day stop at Toledo. Walking through the slab-stones paved road, we tried to trace the journey of the horse carriages during the heydays of this town. Known best for its high-quality steel blades, its orders used to come from the mighty Roman Army itself. Living true to its image, Toledoans still make excellent high-performance knives.

Legend has it that a clockmaker from Toledo built a clock tower to be presented to a Muslim ruler for his prototype to be used all over the Empire. Unfortunately, the leader was not impressed and hence the virtue of keeping to time never really picked in the Eastern part of the world.

Toledo is tucked humbly in the middle of Southern Spain keeping close to itself all the secrets of all the Empires that once ruled this region. Carrying with it mostly Christian and Roman traditions, the Muslim regents also once made their stronghold here. The result of all these is the picturesque picture perfect photographic shot of its buildings, the futuristic water irrigation dykes and a potential site for the next Hollywood medieval-themed blockbuster.

The famous gateway that leads to the Santa Cruz Museum and part of the town. ©FG

Toledo town square - the central meeting point. ©FG

The granite-slab roads that pave most of Toledo. ©FG

The following pictures were taken around Toledo. With the strict local laws preventing indiscriminate haphazard painting of private buildings, the beauty of the ochre-toned walls of the erections against a sky-blue background and a sunny environment for the company stands out as a dream holiday vacation.

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The Templar House - its walls protected the secrets of the Knights Templar in their attempt to save the sanctity of the religion against the non-believers. If you believe Dan Brown, they did more than that. ©FG

At the Santa Cruz Museum, the wealth and power of the Church were unashamedly showcased (as it to done in medieval age by all other people as well) their collections of gold and silver. What fascinated me here was a portrait of Jesus bearing the Cross to the Calvary. Here his facial features are not Occidental but rather Negroidal.

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Some more interesting paintings with religious themes ... The opulent Monstrance with intricate golden carvings allegedly made from the first of the golds of South America.