There seems to be a long-held rivalry over which city is the most beautiful, Toledo or Cuenca. I have learnt to stay well clear of these disputes, especially if my kindly chauffeur happens to be a born-and-bred Toledan, and there’s no humanely dignified way of getting back home to Toledo on public transport.
Instead, I just enjoy the view…
Cuenca’s city walls are a natural granite formation
Eva posing for Maria. Precariously perched in the background on the left are the famous “hanging houses”, dating back to the 15th century.
Salt cod and roast garlic, all mashed up. (Mental note: Next time, cancel all subsequent social engagements…)
Cheeeezzzz…cake 🙂
Lady Of The Cakes 
Welcome back!
Cuenca looks lovely, but that salt cod/garlic mash won my heart. Yum!
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It was delicious 🙂
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I can see why there might be some dispute in the beauty stakes here. Somewhere else to add to my list!
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It’s only an hour from Madrid on the AVE, well worth doing 🙂
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Stunning views and architecture! But what really made my heart leap was the salt cod and garlic pot… looks so delicious!
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Are you back home safely now? Then you can admit it: Cuenca is beautiful. At least your photos make it look gorgeous.
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It was just nice to get out of Toledo, to be honest… been sitting tight here since January! Got some travel coming up, though, thank god!
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Beautiful! It really is. Especially the wondrous walls… and the puds.
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Puds are mandatory… I won’t go anywhere if there’s not at least a couple in the offing!
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If only El Greco had done a companion painting “View of Cuenca” more Americans would know about it……Happy to see you are back (at least I haven’t gotten any of your posts for a coon’s age.) – and REALLY happy to see you are still enjoying all the food. Your other readers can have the cod (too salty for my blood pressure) – I’ll be pleased to hog that cheesecake!
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I’ve just had a quick search… I can’t believe he never painted it! A grave oversight…
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He was a portrait painter primarily though, wasn’t he??
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Well… yes… but his paintings of Toledo are among his most famous.
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Oh, I know, I love View of Toledo and was most disappointed to see there were no more in the same vein…..
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Cuenca looks a great feast for the eyes, and I read your comment about distance from Madrid….. another one for my list, too….. 😀
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The tough bit will be getting from the train station to the old town on the top! Best to take a bus or a taxi if you’re not 100% on that day.
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Thanks! Useful info, and I’m never anywhere near 100% these days!
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Cuenca on my list too! I read your comment re time to get there from Madrid,.
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Looks so beautiful! And where have you been? Missed you and your cakes… 😉
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At home. In Toledo. With not even the vaguest of excuses!
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Oh my god, look at those cakes! Nice views too 🙂 And good to have you back!
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Cuenca has everything 🙂 …except for beach, I suppose…
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Cuenca vs Toledo? Gorgeous views yadda yadda! Just bring on more cheese cake porn!!!
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There’ll be plenty more in the coming weeks… ´tis just a bit of foreplay
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Tease!
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Welcome baaaaaaaaaaaack! The town looks gorgeous – but the weather even more so 🙂
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We were lucky. It’s been grey and rainy ever since.
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I did not know about Cuenca, but it is truly amazing. How did you get up there to the top? It looks like quite a climb!
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Maria braved it in the car. Being from Toledo, she’s well used to squeezing a vehicle through streets narrower than the eye of a needle.
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Oooh, that is so scary. I would be terrified! I think I’d rather hike all day than go in a car…
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Same here… was quite nice being chauffeured by someone competent, though 😉
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Ooh, very pretty!
About time you posted again!!
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Am working my way through a severe bout of post-retentive disorder…
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Welcome back!
I think I’m going to have to see it for myself 🙂 This is gorgeous. I especially love the view with the odd rock formation.
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They have a whole park of those nearby, La Ciudad Encantada (The Enchanted City). I so want to go there!!!
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It’s all very Middle Earth. Looks like you are getting some awesome weather too 🙂
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It’s been crap ever since! In fact, it’s pissing it down right now…
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Awww. I think I’d take rain over the freezing temps we still have!
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Beautiful architecture. You’re right to enjoy the view. 🙂
I have two friends who moved recently from the US to Cuenca, Ecuador, which seems to have a lot in common with its namesake city.
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I just had to google that…
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I also thought Cuenca, Ecuador, when I read the title. It’s always nice to learn something new. Amazing photos!
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Thanks! Nice to see you’re still around 🙂
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Woohoo, she’s back! And Cuenca looks majorly gorgeous. Can’t decide if those 15th century hanging houses would be amazing or terrifying to live in though….
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They’ve been turned into a museum, so we’ll probably never get the chance to move in and find out 😉
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Damn. To the time machine!
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That stone wall looks amazing! Looks like a great place to visit.
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Strictly for people with leg muscles, though. You’d be OK 🙂
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What a beautiful Spanish town – the hanging houses look amazing. Was they built like that or has some of the rock they were sitting on eroded?
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No, they were built like that. Granite erodes veeeeery slowly 😉
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So glad you are back! And what a lovely post to commemorate the event! Loved the scenery. Not much for the fish and garlic mash, but the cakes were divine.
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Oh, they were. And I loved the presentation 🙂
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Hi, hope you are well. Great photos once again
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Hi there! Yes, I am, and thank you 🙂
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You are back!! So glad to see your photos again
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Aw, thanks, how kind 🙂
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I’m always full when I come to the end of your posts! Why is that, do you think? 🙂
I don’t think Toledo has quite so stupendous a setting as Cuenca and I definitely sense the love affair wearing off. Are you there for much longer?
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It was never that much of a love affair to start with… no concrete plans yet to leave, though.
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If I had to pick photos: The canal from overhead, the narrow lane, the granite fist… of course, I knew it would all end up in a cake or dessert of some kind.. 🙂
Where have you been? All well, I hope?
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Hello! I keep looking for okra, but it’s nowhere to be found in Spain. So granite and cakes it is for the time being 😉 All well, thanks for asking 🙂
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No okra, but also no cats. Well, it evens out, doesn’t it? 🙂
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I’ve seen significantly more cats than okra…
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