Hi, I'm Rick Steves, back with more
of the best of Europe. This time we're in Castile,
in the heart of Spain, exploring Toledo, Avila,
Segovia, and Salamanca. Olé! The region of Castile,
or Castille, is the birthplace of so much
of what we consider Spanish: The great kings, the language,
the castles and an empire which financed
the great discoveries and ruled much of the world
in its 16th-century heyday. We'll step back in time. Marvel at El Greco, pop some explosive
pickles, Wow ! Check out Spain's most
awe-inspiring medieval walls, drop in on a bachelorette
party with the local troubadours, and then we'll settle
into one of Europe’s most enchanting scenes. Europe's Iberian
peninsula is shared
by Spain and Portugal. Madrid, Spain's modern capital,
lies in the region of Castile. We'll start in Toledo,
swing by Segovia and Avila, before our finale
in Salamanca. Toledo's so well-preserved
and packed with cultural wonder, the entire city's been declared
a national monument. You'll see no modern buildings. It's an ideal place to savor
the delights of Spain: Cultural, historic, and tasty. Spain's historic capital has
2,000 years of tangled history crowded onto a high,
rocky perch. It's protected on three sides
by a natural moat, the Tagus River, and everywhere else by formidable man-made
fortifications. Toledo was, for centuries, an important Roman
transportation hub with a thriving
Jewish population. When Rome fell, it was ruled first
by the Visigoths and then by the Moors. Centuries later, when the
Christians conquered the city, they made it Spain's political
and religious capital. In the 1500s, when the city reached
its natural limits as defined by its river,
the king packed up and moved his capital
to more spacious Madrid. Toledo became
a political backwater, only to be rediscovered by romantic 19th-century
travelers. Today, while small
in population and of minor importance
politically, Toledo remains a vital center
of culture, art and religion. It survives
much as it was when Europe’s most powerful
king called it home. Toledo's handy escalator gives those
approaching the city from the bus station
or car park a sweat-free
lift into town, particularly welcome
in the hot summer. Lassoed into a tight maze
of lanes, Toledo has a confusing
medieval street plan. But major sights
are well sign-posted. Explore! And remember, some of the
best attractions come without signs. For centuries, Christians, Jews and Muslims
enjoyed this city together. Toledo's history
is a complex mix of these three great religions, with an impressive record
of peaceful coexistence. Physical reminders of
Toledo's multicultural history are everywhere. In the year 711, zealous members of the
world's newest religion, Islam, conquered the Iberian
Peninsula. For seven centuries, these North African Muslims,
called Moors, dominated Spain. The Moors were
impressively tolerant of the people they ruled, allowing Christians and Jews
to practice their faiths freely. With cultural ties stretching
from here, across North Africa, all the way
to Arabia and beyond, the Moorish civilization
here in Spain was a beacon of learning
in Europe’s so-called Dark Ages. Mathematics, astronomy,
literature, and architecture all flourished. After Christians took back
Toledo in 1085, many Moorish craftsmen
and builders stayed on, leaving their Arabic imprint
on the city for generations to come. This looks like a mosque, but it's actually
a Jewish synagogue. It was built in the 1200s for
Jews by Moorish craftsmen. The decor, while Arabic
in its style, comes with Jewish motifs. The shell is a
Hebrew symbol calling worshippers to listen
to the word of God. While the men worshipped
in the main area, women worshipped
behind the screen. 200 years later,
the mosque-like synagogue was retrofitted
to be a Christian church. The peaceful coexistence
couldn't last forever. Spanish kings united Spain
into a Christian nation. They gave Jews and Muslims
a choice: Convert or leave. In 1492, sure, Columbus
sailed the ocean blue. But that was also the year
that Spanish Christians exiled the Jews and successfully kicked
the Moors back into Africa. A sweet remnant
from its Moorish days is Toledo's
famous mazapán. Shops all over town sell
mazapán goodies in ready-made gift boxes. But I like to
select my own. Gracias. Adiós. Adiós. A great thing about travel is trying things
you've never tried before. For years I've been looking
at these fruity mazapán and I've never tried one. Mmm, it's actually good, but
I'm gonna stick with the purist. This is the "sin relleno." Oh, yeah, top quality mazapán. Toledo's main square is the inviting
Plaza Zocodover. Tourists visit today
for more than mazapán. Toledo was
the 16th-century home of one of Europe’s greatest
painters: El Greco. Born in Greece,
trained in Venice, Domenikos Theotocopoulos -- his tongue-tied friends
nicknamed him "the Greek," or "El Greco" -- moved to Spain
to find work as a painter. He found employment
here in Toledo, where he spent the rest
of his life and developed his unique style
of painting. El Greco-philes
will want to visit Toledo's Santa
Cruz museum. Originally an orphanage
and hospital, today its wards
house 16th-century art, including a superb collection
of El Greco paintings. His work mixes influences from all three
of his places of residence. Icon-like faces
from his Greek homeland, bold color and twisting poses
from Italy, and the almost mystical
spirituality from Catholic Spain. El Greco painted
supernatural visions, elongated saints stretched
between earth and heaven. He painted souls,
not bodies. Faces flicker
like candles. Thoroughly modern in its
disregard of realism, his art feels contemporary
even today. This altar piece, finished one
year before El Greco's death, is a culmination
of his inimitable style. It combines all his
signature elements to express
an other-worldly event. While on earth the city
of Toledo sleeps, a vision takes
place overhead. An angel in a billowing robe
spreads his wings and flies up, supporting Mary,
the mother of Christ. She floats
through warped space, to be serenaded by angels and wrapped in the radiant
light of the Holy Spirit. Mary is charged from within
by the ecstasy of her faith. No painter
before or since has captured the mystery
of the spiritual world like El Greco. Nearby, the simple chapel
of Santo Tome holds El Greco's
most loved painting. "The Burial
of the Count of Orgaz" couples heaven and earth in
a way only "the Greek" could. Imagine, you're at the burial
of the good count right here in
this chapel. He was so holy, two saints even came down
from heaven to help out. The funeral is attended by
Toledo's leading citizens. Each face is
a detailed portrait. El Greco paints himself
looking out at us, drawing us into
the scene. The boy in the foreground,
pointing to the two saints, is El Greco's son. The count's soul, symbolized
by a ghost-like baby, rises up through the mystical
birth canal to be reborn in heaven where he's greeted by Jesus,
Mary, and all the saints. A spiritual wind blows as colors change
and shapes stretch. Jesus points to St. Peter, who controls the keys
to the pearly gates. The painting's subtitle: "Such is the reward for those
who serve god and his saints." Our hotel,
the Residencia la Almazara, while truly in
the country, is just two miles
out of Toledo. The summer residence
of a 16th-century cardinal, it's a lumbering old place
with inviting public spaces, a sprawling garden... ...and simple
but comfortable rooms. Fond of the cardinal,
and perhaps this view, El Greco hung out here
for inspiration. Toledo, Spain's leading
Catholic city, has a magnificent
cathedral. Shoehorned into
the old center, its exterior rises brilliantly
above the medieval clutter. And the interior,
so lofty and vast, is celebrated as the most
Gothic of Spain's churches and the most Spanish
of Gothic churches. Wander among the pillars and imagine when the
light bulbs were candles and the tourists
were pilgrims. And for worshippers,
past and present, the windows provide spiritual
as well as physical light. Marvel through
the iron gate at one of the most stunning
altars in all of Spain. The complex composition shows
the story of Jesus' life, from his birth
in the manger, to his death
on the cross. While the centerpiece holds
the holy communion bread and wine, the entire altar conveys
the Christian message of salvation
through Christ. While the cathedral is primarily
a place of worship, its sacristy and treasury have
enough jewels, great paintings, and other art
to put any museum on the map. My Spanish friend and fellow
tour guide Carlos Galvin is joining us for dinner. All that art and history stokes
my appetite for a special meal. Restaurante Casón
de Los López de Toledo, located in an old
nobleman's palace, offers traditional Spanish
favorites with a modern flair. Mmmm. [Guitar music] Here they specialize
in Castilian food, especially game,
like venison and partridge. And it's always
artfully presented in a way that would have
pleased the Spanish nobles
who used to live here. So, Rick,
this is venison. Venison is very typical
in Toledo. This is like partridge. Game. Everybody goes...
[Makes shooting noise] So historically, this has been
a hunting area? Yeah,
oh, yeah. And we're drinking wine from the Duero region of
northern Spain and Portugal, renowned for
its vineyards. A meal like this
is a fine way to cap another great day
in Castile. Carlos and I are heading
for Salamanca with quick stops in Segovia
and Avila along the way. Segovia, an historic town
of 55,000 with a rich history
and a famous Roman aqueduct is well worth a
short visit. Nearly 2,000 years ago, Segovia was a Roman military
base in need of water. So Emperor Trajan's engineers
rerouted a stream into town by building this
nine-mile-long aqueduct. This massive structure, ingeniously constructed
with no mortar, provided water to Segovia
until modern times. While locals claim it could
still work today, its primary function
seems to be providing a backdrop
for family fun. Mommy, mommy! Segovia's main
pedestrian drag is clogged with people enjoying
a festive spring day out. While Romanesque
churches and statues honoring 16th-century
local heroes are ignored, kids get plenty
of attention. [Speaking Spanish] The Plaza Mayor marks
Segovia's old town center. It's early in the afternoon
on a Saturday, and, as on plazas
all over Spain, people are out
with family and friends. It's prime time to enjoy
an "aperitivo" before heading home for
the main meal of the day, a late lunch. Segovia's Plaza Mayor
wasn't always so idyllic. It was long the scene
of bullfights. Imagine spectators jamming
these balconies screaming, "Toro, toro, olé!" In the 19th century, bullfights
in this square were stopped. When the residents complained, town fathers gave them a more
gentile form of entertainment: This bandstand. The town's cathedral stands
high above its main square. Embellished to the hilt with pinnacles
and flying buttresses, it's a good example of that
final overripe stage of Gothic called flamboyant. [ Spanish guitar music ] Segovia's Alcazar,
or fortress, still seems to defend
the far end of town. Once the king's summer
retreat and palace, it burned down
and was rebuilt. Like so many castle rebuilds
in the romantic 19th century, it's a fanciful exaggeration,
barely resembling the original. A short drive
through more of Castile brings us to the
fortified city of Avila. Avila is famous for its
perfectly preserved medieval walls. For over 300 years, the town was on the battlefront
between Moors and Christians, changing hands
several times. Built in around 1100, the wall is the most complete
in all of Spain. Avila's cathedral was actually
built into the wall. And behind the ramparts, the peaceful streets
give a charming look at small-town Spain. The Convent of St. Teresa is built upon the birthplace
of Avila's most famous resident. Teresa wrote the most popular
spiritual devotions of her age and founded a Carmelite
religious order. Pilgrims venerate the saint
in this gilded chapel. A case full of relics
includes Teresa's finger, complete with
a fancy ring. Local nuns cooked up
the town's famous pastry and now anyone visiting Avila
enjoys its yummy "yemas." These pastries are like
a soft-boiled egg yolk, cooled and sugared. So in Spain,
every town has its specialty. In Avila,
it's yemas. That's nice. No? That's good. Heading east from Avila, you feel immersed in the
high and vast plateau of central Spain. It's a rough land, steeped
in history and tradition. And huge bulls on the horizon
remind drivers, this is the land
of bullfighting. These fun "bullboards"
are all over Spain, built years ago to advertise
a local sherry. A Roman bridge leads
to the sunny sandstone city of Salamanca, Spain's premier
university town. Salamanca is more youthful
and less touristy than Toledo. Enjoy a "paseo" -- that's
Spain's traditional stroll -- with the local crowd
down Rua Mayor and into its famous
main square. [ Background crowd noises ] Plaza Mayor, built in 1729,
is the ultimate Spanish plaza, a fine place to nurse a drink
and watch the world go by. It's a stress-free,
multi-generational mix that, to me, is
quintessentially European. The handsome town hall
overlooks the square. While most squares
honor a king or saint, this one also commemorates
commoners from the region. Plaques above
the colonnade depict Castilian writers
such as Cervantes, who wrote "Don Quixote"; heroes and conquistadors,
such as Cortez... ...popular saints
like Teresa, kings and even dictators. Here's Franco. [ Castanets clicking ] On Sunday, after mass,
old-timers gather here to shake their castanets. [ Drum beat and clicking ] Sure, you'll pay a little
extra to eat here, but it's a bargain when you
consider the ambiance, enjoying the finest square
in Spain, savoring some of Europe’s
best people-watching. Now, you come
to a restaurant and you just -- you don't want to deal
with a big menu, you just want
a light meal. That's right. And then
you order "raciones." Raciones are a little
larger than tapas. Okay. You go to a bar;
You get a tapa, it would be like
a little, tiny plate. Exactly. Yeah, and then here
you just get raciones. Okay. So these are
"patatas bravas." "Bravas" means "brave," brave because they have
a very spicy sauce. And then,
of course, the standard thing
would be a little bit of jamón. Jamón Serrano,
mm-hmm. What kind of wine
is that? Okay,
this is "rioja." Rioja's from
the north of Spain. Oh, that's good. Rioja. [ Speaking Spanish ] So if you want
a strong, Spanish wine, rioja is a good bet? Yeah -- "un vino
con cuerpo." Yeah,
full-bodied. Full-bodied.
That's a good word. Vino con cuerpo. Look at
this view. One of Salamanca's top sights
is the Church of San Esteban, dedicated to St. Stephen,
or Esteban, the martyr. This is a fine example of
Spain's Plateresque style, masonry so intricate it looks like the region's
silver filigree. The facade features
the stoning of St. Stephen. Inside, priests
are dwarfed by the over-the-top
altar piece. This is a textbook example
of the 17th-century style named after José
Churriguera. Nearby, Salamanca's
covered market is a marvelous place for a
cultural scavenger hunt. Here you'll find
all the things important to daily life
in Castile: Fresh local produce... ...Salamancan sausage... ...and ham hocks. Ham, or "jamón" in Spanish, has a cult following
here in Castile. So tell me, Carlos,
about this -- this entire mechanism. Is this typical? Yeah, this is
totally typical. We have one
of those at home. Every family
has one of these. And we buy
a jamón every -- for every Christmas
we have a jamón. And we just carve it
like you do the turkey. Is it difficult
to cut? It's not
very difficult. Do you want
to try? Can I try
a little bit? [ Speaking Spanish ] So what is
the important thing? To make it -- to make it
very thin. Okay, so the thinner,
the tastier because you
want to -- there you go. That's not
so bad. That's perfect. That's great. Jamón iberica. There. Yeah, there
you go. That's perfect. That's
very thin. It's coming,
okay. "Este señor,
un profesional." Ah, look
at that. And then when you're
working hard, you can eat
a little bit, too. Next, for something
with a little more kick, we're trying some "banderillas,"
potent spikes of spicy pickles. This is an assortment
of everything in this one banderilla,
in one gulp. What is
a "banderilla?" It's what you stick
on the bull. Okay, it's this
fancy little spear? Yeah. An explosion
of taste? Exactly. You gotta do it
in one go, yeah. Altogether. There you go. Mmm. Good? Wow. Oh, that's
bueno, yeah. Wow! Olé! [ Rick laughs ] Maybe
a little wine. A little vino? [ Speaking Spanish ] Gracias. [ Speaking Spanish ] Explosivo! Saluté. Salud. Yeah,
that helps. Gracias. Adiós. So long. Whoa. A highlight of any visit
to Salamanca is its famous university. The oldest in Spain, it was
established in the early 1200s and was one of Europe’s leading
centers of learning for 400 years. Today, while no longer
so prestigious, it's laden with history and especially popular
with American students for its excellent
summer program. The university's ornately
decorated grand entrance is another example of Spain's
fancy Plateresque style. The people studying the
facade aren't art fans. They're trying to find
a tiny frog on a skull that students look to
for good luck. Okay. Up the column, take a left,
find the skull. The frog's on top. Now forget him. Let's follow the facade's
symbolic meaning. The bottom part thanks King
Ferdinand and Queen Isabel for the money
to make the building. The middle section celebrates
Charles V with the coat of arms
of his Habsburg empire, the world's only superpower
in the early 1500s. Finally, as a statement of the
school's open-mindedness, the top honors the pope while putting him in the
company of pagan gods. This venerable arcade leads
to lecture halls where Spain's
brightest minds grappled with issues raised
by the dawning of a new age. Imagine golden-age heroes
paging through these books and pondering
these globes. Cortez came here
for travel tips. The narrow wooden tables
and benches, whittled down by centuries
of studious doodling, are originals. Professors spoke boldly
from the pulpit. It was here that the free-thinking monk
Luis de León taught in the 1500s. He challenged the church's
control of the word of God by translating part
of the bible from Latin into the people's language
of Castilian. Because of this, he was tossed
into jail for five years. When finally released,
he returned to this pulpit and began his first lecture
with, "As we were saying..." Courageous men of truth
like Luis de León believed the forces
of the Inquisition were not even worth
acknowledging. Traditionally, Salamanca's
struggling students earned money
to fund their education by singing in
the streets. This centuries-old troubadour
tradition survives today as musical combos,
called tuna bands, dressed in distinctive outfits,
play lutes, guitars, and sing. For a fee, they serenade
fancy family gatherings. [ Singing is Spanish ] And celebrating with a beer
after their gig's done, they can't resist
brightening a bride-to-be's
bachelorette party. And this fun-loving tuna
band, the oldest in Salamanca, gave us a memorable trip
finale back on the Plaza Mayor. Thanks for joining us. I hope you've enjoyed
our highlights of Castile. I'm Rick Steves. Until next time,
keep on travelin'. Adiós. A-hoo! Olé! Toro, toro,
hi-ya-ya! Wow! Oh! [ Rick laughs ]
