Los Molinos de Viento, Consuegra, Castilla La Mancha

The Windmills of Consuegra, Toledo, Castilla La Mancha.
I hope you like Windmills.



Following my trip to Alcázar de San Juan, I decided to continue on my trail behind the dusty legendary tracks of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza on their mounts.

Particularly intrigued by the story of how Don Quixote foolishly mistook the windmills on the plains of La Mancha for ‘monstrous giants with long arms’ and vowed to take them down in battle, I was excited as I approached the town of Consuegra - whose skyline is outlined by a 12th century castle and 12 beautifully conserved windmills on the hill, Cerro Calderico.


Above: The view of the town from the hill.










So yeah, I checked. The windmills are not monstrous giants made famous by Cervantes’s creative story-telling :) Before they are there sitting pretty on the hill attracting tourists and Don Quixote fans, they actually did serve a purpose of helping millers in Consuegra grind their grains with wind energy.





Another important stop in the Don Quixote route is Campo de Criptana, not far from Consuegra. Despite having been to Campo de Criptana two years ago to get my windmill fix (I have a thing for windmills and I love photographing them), I knew I couldn’t skip Consuegra.

It’s not difficult to see how the landscape of La Mancha had inspired Cervantes to pen his magnum opus. The splendour of the castle and windmills still impresses today. Indeed, no trip to La Mancha would be complete without a sighting of Don Quixote’s infamous foes.

I've got more windmill pics here!

Alcázar de San Juan, Castilla La Mancha

Last Sunday, my day trippin' brought me to the town of Alcázar de San Juan in the province of Ciudad Real, Castilla La Mancha.

Alcázar de San Juan got its name from previously being an old Arab fortress (Alcázar) which was later taken over by the Knights of Saint John (San Juan in Spanish).

Not only is it a privileged town set along the wine trail of La Mancha, Alcázar de San Juan is also set in a "route of fantasy", serving as a background where much of the adventures of Spain’s most popular fictional character, Don Quixote de La Mancha took place.

It's obvious that this locality closely associates itself to the protagonists of the famed novel as well as to their creator Miguel de Cervantes, as one can see they are immortalised as statues and images all over the town. Some even say that this is the birthplace of the renowned author.



Above & below: Iconic sculptures of the fictional characters Don Quixote and his sidekick, Sancho Panza, located in the heart of the town facing Plaza de España.




Above: The Municipal Market at Plaza de España.




Above: The neo-classical style Town Council or Ayuntamiento of Alcázar de San Juan.


Above: Iglesia de Santa Quitéria.



Above & Below: Buildings around Plaza Santa Quitéria.




Above: A mother and child stone statue monument titled ‘Cántico a la Maternidad’ located at Plaza de Santa Maria.


Above: The statue of Miguel de Cervantes stands outside the Tower of the Grand Prior - Torreón de Don Juan de Austria.


Above: Iglesia de Santa Maria La Mayor, the oldest church in Alcázar, believed to be built over an old mosque.

Alcázar de San Juan is also famous for some of its festivals.

One being the festival of Moors & Christians which is celebrated in conjunction with the Night of San Juan on 24 June, the other being the Carnival, which is celebrated in December between Christmas & New Year's eve, and declared as a Regional Tourist Interest.

MONSTERS in MADRID!!!

......
Monster Trucks, that is!

Last Saturday saw 10 of America’s famed Monster Truckers & their “mean machines” packing in the crowds and causing a storm at the Monster Jam Show in Madrid’s Vicente Calderón Stadium!



This is one show that I’d never expect to catch live so I decided to go for it. I even got tickets for the pre-show Pit Party to get up close to the monster trucks and rub shoulders with the drivers. Not bad for just an additional 5€!

Check out some of the trucks up close!







Above: Pretty in pink "Madusa" was driven by Debrah Miceli - the only female in the competition!

After the Pit Party, the drivers got their trucks ready for the night’s competition. The show started off nice and easy with some basic circuit runs and intensified through the night with more daring, free-style stunts.


Above: "El Toro Loco", complete with horns, going loco in the circuit..naturally it's got the loudest cheer from the Spanish crowd.


Above: "Grave Digger" leaping over 4 brand new minis...this stunt is NOT to be confused with car crushing!

Lots of wheelies, car crushing, donut spins and massive air leaps! It was wildly entertaining! As the trucks advanced in the competition, more and more started flipping over. No one got injured though, after all, they’re pros!


Above: Spidey flipping over while crunching cars. [Click to enlarge]











Above: "Mohawk Warrior" doing Donut Spins. [Click to enlarge]


Above: George Balhan of "Mohawk Warrior" - the ultimate warrior indeed.


Above: Fireworks mark the finale of the event.

The winner of the competition is none other than George Balhan driving his “Mohawk Warrior” Monster Truck – my favourite from the very beginning! Coming in close at 2nd place was Charlie Pauken driving “Grave Digger”, another crowd favourite.
DO NOT MESS WITH THESE GUYS ON THE ROAD!

Burgos, Castilla y León

Recently, I found myself suddenly thinking about a certain Spanish dish – Morcilla de Burgos. Although it’s not difficult to find it in Madrid, what better place to have it than in the city of Burgos itself! (Yes I'm one of those who really like eating Morcilla de Burgos despite knowing what it's made of.)

So we drove almost 3 hrs north from Madrid to Burgos, and the first thing we did was to head into a tapas bar and indulge in a plate of Morcilla de Burgos. I finished it so quickly that I didn’t even remember to do what I'd usually do – snap a picture of it!

Anyway, the weather in Burgos was absolutely fantastic. The city is actually really pretty with its gothic architecture, spacious plazas and the Arlanzón River running across it. Great for some leisurely after-lunch wandering!


Above: Arch of Santa Maria - "The Gateway to Burgos!"

Above: View of Burgos City from the Castle, located on a hilltop.


Above: Plaza Mayor


Above: The Arlanzón River running across the city.


Above: Plaza del Rey San Fernando. Buildings with glass window covered balconies appear to be typical of this city.

The city of Burgos forms part of El Camino de Santiago or The Way of St. James pilgrimage route and not surprisingly, the route passes the famous Cathedral of Burgos, located right in the heart of the city.

Possibly one of the most magnificent Cathedrals in Spain, the Burgos Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A true Gothic masterpiece, it is as impressive inside as it is on the outside!

Apart from the Catheral, Burgos has another important monument, the 15th century Casa del Cordón - where several historical events were known to have taken place.

Just as I was about to reach the historical building, 'Bread & Cakes' caught my eye and stopped me in my tracks. No harm side tracking for a little sweet treat!




Above: Casa del Cordón, the building in which Christopher Columbus was known to be received by the Catholic Monarchs in 1496 on his return from his second voyage across the Atlantic. What a piece of history.

Venturing out of the city center, my final stop was to visit the Real Monasterio de las Huelgas before heading down back to Madrid. Another of Burgos's fine example of Gothic architecture, its vast compound consist of a church, a monastery and a cloister.

That's it! Have a great weekend!