Category Archives: Toledo

Giddy-up, Aristotle

Posted on August 17, 2014 by 100swallows

This looks like a medieval version of Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly singing “True Love.” But it isn’t anything like that. Those aren’t earphones or the man’s microphone but a…bridle. The woman is riding him. She is Phyllis the Courtesan … Continue reading →

Posted in 1, Alexander the Great, Aristotle, art, Basel, France, history, Humanism, Lai d' Aristot, middle ages, philosophy, Phyllis, Renaissance, Toledo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

No Place Like Toledo, Spain

Posted on March 10, 2009 by 100swallows

There is no place like it in all the world. Look at El Greco’s unforgettable painting first. Then this photograph: The whole city is a sort of natural castle with a moat, the Tagus River, in a deep gorge around … Continue reading →

Posted in 1, art, books, El Cid, Romans, Spain, Toledo, travel, warfare | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

A Pleasure Palace and a Clock

Posted on November 21, 2008 by 100swallows

Just outside Toledo, near the river before it flows around the city, there is a small, delicate palace built by a Moorish king or governor in the eighth century. He built it for his daughter, the Princess Galiana. Its flowered … Continue reading →

Posted in archaeology, history, Spain, Toledo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments