I took a half day bus trip to Toledo, because this is one of the cities that still shows lots of signs of the time when Spain was largely ruled by the Muslims and there were Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities coexisting.
The Spanish do like thei pork and ham. These are ham sandwiches stuffed with pork.
One of the most beautiful and interesting buildings in Toledo was the White Synagogue.
These are alabaster windows.
The detailed decorative carving at the top of the columns in the white synagogue was striking.
The most disturbing part of the day was the attitude of the guide. She seemed to regard the expulsion of Jews, Muslims, and Gypsies from the country and the establishment of the Inquisition in 1492 as something that had been a beneficial and necessary thing. She also kicked a Sikh member of our party out of an active church since he could not remove his turban. "I understand that it is because you are a Hindi, but this is a Christian holy place so...out".
He left graciously, but when several of us approached him later to express our dismay at the actions of the guide, he pointed out that Sikh holy places always have four doors to symbolize their openness to everyone. It was hard to know how to respond to the guide's actions.
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