Córdoba to Toledo

Today I'm continuing from Cordoba to Toledo. I have time to visit Cordoba before my train is departing.

 Córdoba is a city in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. It was a Roman settlement, then colonised by Muslim armies in the eighth century. It became the capital of the Islamic Emirate, and then of the Caliphate of Córdoba, including most of the Iberian Peninsula. Córdoba consisted of hundreds of workshops that created goods such as silk. It was a center of culture and learning in the Muslim golden age. (Wikipedia)

 Cats of Cordoba

 Roman Bridge of Córdoba over river Guadalquivir

 More cats

 Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (Spanish for "Castle of the Christian Monarchs"), also known as the Alcázar of Córdoba, is a medieval Alcázar located in the historic centre of Córdoba (in Andalusia, Spain), next to the Guadalquivir River and near the Grand Mosque. The Alcázar takes its name (Arabic: القصر‎, translit. Al-Qasr, lit. 'The Palace'). The fortress served as one of the primary residences of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. (Wikipedia)

 Lemons

 Mezquita

The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba and the Mezquita.

The structure is regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture. According to a traditional account, a small Visigoth church, the Catholic Basilica of Saint Vincent of Lérins, originally stood on the site. In 784 Abd al-Rahman I ordered construction of the Great Mosque, which was considerably expanded by later Muslim rulers. Córdoba returned to Christian rule in 1236 during the Reconquista, and the building was converted to a Roman Catholic church, culminating in the insertion of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the 16th century. (Wikipedia)

 Mihrab

 The view from the roof of the hotel

 The old Cordoba station was replaced by a new one in 1994. The old station building is today the office for RTVA (Radio y Televisión de Andalucía)

 The new underground station in Cordoba

 Sala club (lounge)

 There is a choice of warm and cold drinks at the lounge

 Renfe Class 449

 Altaria train from Algeciras to Madrid

 Iberian gauge (to the left) and standard gauge (to the right)

 Renfe Class S104 Avant is part of Pendolino family from Fiat Ferroviaria (today Alstom)

Renfe Avant is a commercial brand offering high-speed medium-distance train services, which run at a speed that reaches a maximum of 250 km/h - slightly lower than the maximum speed of AVE. In general, these services cover different provinces within the same autonomous community or another contiguous one. The regional services at conventional speed are called Renfe Media Distancia. (Wikipedia)

 S104 is operating here the route Cordoba-Seville

 Renfe Class S102 AVE

 Renfe Class 252

 I will take two trains today, first is this S102 AVE to Madrid.

 In Preferente Class there is a meal and drinks included

 Madrid–Sevilla high-speed line is a 472km long Spanish railway line for high-speed traffic between Madrid and Seville. The first Spanish high-speed rail connection has been in use since 21 April 1992 at speeds up to 300 km/h. Travel time between the two end points was reduced by over half. (Wikipedia)

 Puertollano

 Ciudad Real

 Malagón

 S102 is a Talgo 350 train

 Approaching Madrid

 Iberian gauge railways are using 3kV DC, while the standard gauge railway are built for 25kV AC

 The train has arrived to Madrid Puerta de Atocha station

 Renfe Class S100

 The old station main hall transformed to a tropical garden.

 My next train is a S104 Avant service to Toledo

 The train is travelling on Madrid-Toledo high speed line, 74km long. The line shares the first 53 km with the LAV Madrid-Sevilla/Málaga to La Sagra line and then travels on a unique branch length of 21 km to the city of Toledo. The trip takes thirty minutes. (Wikipedia)

 The line to Sevilla/Malaga

 The new high speed line to Toledo opened in 2005. Today it is only served by Avant S104 trains to/from Madrid.

 The station of Toledo was designed in the Neo-Mudéjar style and opened in 1919.

 My hotel for today

 Alcázar de Toledo

Toledo is a city and municipality located in central Spain; it is the capital of the province of Toledo and the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. Toledo was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 for its extensive monumental and cultural heritage. Toledo is known as the "Imperial City" for having been the main venue of the court of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and as the "City of the Three Cultures" for the cultural influences of Christians, Muslims and Jews reflected in its history. (Wikipedia)

 Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada de Toledo

 Puente de San Martín

To mark the fourth centenary of the publication of the first part of Don Quixote, the Council of Communities of Castile–La Mancha designed a series of routes through the region crossing the various points cited in the novel. Known as the Route of Don Quixote, two of the pathways designated, sections 1 and 8, are based in Toledo. (Wikipedia)

 Ayuntamiento de Toledo

 Plaza del Ayuntamiento

 Plaza Zocodover

Puente de Alcántara