This is yesterday's post. Couldn't publish it last night as I arrived very late in Nerja and there's no wi-fi in the flat. So . . .

Toledo: Chapter 1:

• Appears to have re-positioned itself as a primarily Jewish city. Its USP is two synagogues and 5 or 6 Jewish festivals a year. I'm sure it wasn't like this when I was last here 4 or 5 years ago. As you'd expect of those dastardly Christians, what was once the Jewish quarter is dominated by a huge church. And one or both of the synagogues are located on a street called “The Spanish Catholic Monarchs·” Once upon a time, it didn't suit Toledo to boast of its Jewish connections. Before it depended on tourism. And before it realised that Jews can be quite wealthy. And free with their money.
• Is a riot of glorious stonework(inside) and Mudéjar brickwork(outside). Though I suppose one could get blasé about the latter.
• Boasts two magnificent synagogues and a Moorish mosque. All of these have been beautifully restored, losing most traces of their iniquitous conversion into Christian churches in the process. Not to mention their use as barracks or warehouses during the War of Independence. Fascinatingly, the synagogues have clear traces of Moorish/Mudéjar influence.
• Has an Asian restaurant with Sake in its name. Despite which, it's run by Chinese. Fittingly, often called 'The Jews of Asia'. Unusually, they smile a lot. So maybe they're Korean. For the cognoscenti – and Trevor - Alas de Pollo is translated as Chicken Balls.
• Seems to use different spellings from what I'm used to. Cuehro for Cuero and Lamo for Llamo. As in “Lamo la grua”. Possibly just mistakes.
• Sports several shops selling objects made of Toledo steel. The usual stuff – penknives, carving knives, hunting knives, rapiers, machetes and broadswords. My favourite place had one of the latter inscribed “Robin of Loxley”(the first 'hoodie'). And another with a reference to 'Braveheart'. God knows how you'd get any of these into the UK, where carrying a nail-file is now a prison offence.
• Honours El Greco with a charming museum-cum-art-gallery in a house where he might have once lived. But didn't. Possibly, though, he and his family had an apartment across the street. Which counts. As with all museums in Spain, there'll be someone to give you a ticket (even if it's free) and someone else a metre or so away to punch or rip it for you. When there's no one to deal with, they chat to each other. In one place, there were 6 to 8 of these milling around in the entrance. And it still took me 5 minutes to get in.
• Is lacking beggars outside the churches. Possibly because it's too cold. Or, more likely, because tourists are thin in the ground this time of year.
• Has its own newspaper - The Tribunal de Toledo – which yesterday gave 7 possible reason for the Pope's resignation, without mentioning paedophilia.
• Holds a Good Friday immolation ceremony involving a giant sardine. I'd thought these were confined to the coast. Plus I don't see the Jewish connection with a sardine. A herring, yes, But a sardine? I don't think they've thought this through yet.

So, does Toledo rank with Córdoba as one of the must-see('bucket-list') places on earth. On balance, yes. I've been twice and will certainly go again.

As for Nerja . . . To many bloody foreigners pretending to be bit players in the comedy series Benidorm. But this is only what I expected. Though it's on a much grander scale than when I was last here 20 years ago. Progress.

I wonder how long it will be before I see some Brit in his 60s sporting camouflage cargo pants.