Horseshoe Arches. Toledo, Spain, May 2013.
From Madrid, Toledo is a short train ride northwest. One of the most beautiful structures my friends Janelle, Cat, and I visited was the Santa María la Blanca. Santa María la Blanca is the oldest standing synagogue in Europe. Completed in 1180, this building is an interesting blend as it was constructed by Moorish architects to be used as a synagogue in a Catholic country. You can see the distinctly Islamic influence in the architecture, particularly in these horseshoe arches. It was a synagogue until the 1400s, and has been since used as a monastery, an armory and warehouse, and is now a museum.