If you’re looking for artistic inspiration, search no further. It’s no wonder El Greco was moved to paint the Toledo cityscape. Just take a glimpse at this view:

The city, located an hour south of Madrid, is surrounded by the Tagus river.

While the city has a rich history, I was too distracted by marzipan, cobblestone streets, and menorah tiles of the Jewish neighborhood to hear the tour guide’s explanation.

I can tell you this: there are different entrances to the city, including the one in the featured image of this blog post–an entryway close to the Jewish village. We entered a restored synagogue-turned-museum and caught a glimpse of many statues of Cervantes, Don Quijote and Sancho Panza.

According to multiple websites that appeared on a Google search of “Toledo History,” the city is known to be the capital of three cultures: Muslim, Arab, and Jewish. It is also a place that famously inspired the novel, Don Quixote (Quijote in Spanish).

While we only had a few hours to experience the city, it was certainly a worthwhile trip. Between sites on our walking tour, we got a chance to have lunch outside and taste some delicious gazpacho.

TripAdviser is telling me that you can actually follow the trail of Don Quijote and see the windmills that inspired one of his most famous misadventures. I guess that means I need to go back…

Learn Spanish: ¿Dónde está el mazapán? – Where is the marzipan?