8 — Sunday. January 3, 1999 — North Shore News
north shore news

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—

eautiful To!
a home to hi

Toni Dabbs

Contributing Writer

TO a visitor viewing
Toledo from the oppo-
site shore of the Tagus
River, two characteris-
tics of the ancient
Spanish city are imnie-
diately apparent: its
physical beauty; and its
strategic location. No
wonder succeeding
forces have sought to
control it through the
ages.

Occupied by the Romans
in the second century, the
Visigoths (western
Germanies) in the sixth and
the Moors in’ the cighth,
Toledo retains vestiges ofeach
Society.

This is due in part to a tol-
crant Christian reign izamt che
end of the Lith century until
the end of the I4th, which
allowed Muslims to remain in
the city and welcomed an
influy of Jews,

As aioresulr, churches,

Mosques and synagogues of

varying vintages exist in close
proximity on a small but well-
protected site bounded on
three sides by the river gorge
and on the fourth side by an
imposing medieval wall.

Designated =a World
Heritage Site by UNESCO
(United Nations Educational,
Scientific and = Culuural
Organization) in 1987,
Toledo is a popular day trip
destination trom) Madrid, 72
kilometers northeast.

Visitors approach the city
by one of five picturesque
bridges spanning the Tagus.
The oldest is the Alcantara,
builr by the Romans and
restored by the Moors and
later the Christians. To enter
the city itself, they pass
through one of nine gates in
the defensive wall, where rrav-
clers to Toledo during the
Middle Ages had to stop and
pay a toll.

Inside the wall, pase and
present collide, as cars nose up
narrow cobblestone passage-
ways past
Mudejar architecture, a com-
posite style developed by the
Moors working — under
Christian rule.

Some hiszoric structures,
such as Cristo de la Luz
Hermitage, built in 1000,
stand disused, while others
huuse shops selling jewelry
fashioned from damascene
(black steel inlaid with designs
of copper, silver or gold wire)
and cookies moulded from

examples of

Photo Ton! Dabbs

THE old Spanish city of Toledo, a compact maze of
winding lanes and stone buildings, slopes down to

the Tagus River Gorge.

marzipan, ovo Toledo special-
ties. Tornereos Mosque, dat-
ing from the late 1ith centu-
ry, is of classic Moorish
design, with slender columis
and graceful arches.

For more than 400 years, it
was the only public place in
Toledo where Muslims were
allowed toa congregate and
pray. Today, it is the regional

Centre for the Promotion of

Handicratts.

Transito Synagogue, built
in the I4th century, incorpo-
rates influences from Gothic,
Islamic and Mudejar art, as
well as Jewish mouts, It now
contains the — Sephardic
Museum, relating the history
of Jews in Spain,

What Are You Doin
After Graduation?

Among buildings that con-
tinue to be used for their orig-
inal purposes is Toledo
Cathedral, begun in the 13th
century and constructed over
the next 300 years, a massive
Gothic editice with Mudejar,
Baroque and Neoclassical cle-
ments. Its landmark steeple
pierces a low-profile skyline of
red tile roofs.

The Cathedral's spacious
and opulent interior includes:
the choir, its 120 seats hand:
carved with individual decora-
tions; the chapter house, its
walls lined with portraits of
former archbishops and cardi-
nals; the treasury, sheltering,

See Exploring page 10

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Sharing a Vision
of Health

LIONS GATE
HOSPITAL'S
Caring Community
Calendar

Screening
Mammography
If you are a wornan aged 40
or over, you may refer
pourself to this program.
or an appointment call
984-5714,

Maternity Sibling Tour
Sat. Jan. 9 at 10:30 AM.
meet on 3rd floor by elevators
A tour for children whose
moms are expecting a new
baby, For info. call Wendy
Panton, at 984-5864.

Bodysense
Life ills for
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Mondays Jan. 11 to Apr. 12
5:30 to 6:30 pM.
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7:07 wo 8:00 PM.
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This weight contro! m
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fo8 is $160.00. To register
call 984-5752. ;

Headstart
Support Group ©.
Wed. jan. 13 at 7PM.
in Seminar A
For any person who has
sustained a brain injury.
Concerned family memiers|
are welcome. For more info,
cail Joanne Oben, S.W. at
984-3742.

Kids Worry Too
Ist & 52d Tues. af 10-30 am.
in Seminar Room A
An information and edu-
cation session to help deal
with children’s unique
needs when a parent is
diagnosed with cancer. For
info. call Joyce Auld S.W,,
at 984-3709 or Barbara
Fitzgerald CNS, st 984-5831.

Relaxation Group
Thursdays at 10 A.M
in the Medial Day Centre
For cancer patients, their
families and/or caregivers.
For information call joyce
Auld S.W. at 984-3709.

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