Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain, it is a city of great cultural and political importance. While Madrid possesses a modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighborhoods and streets. Before we head to Madrid, we stopped by Córdoba, which was the capital of the Roman province Provincia Hispania Ulterior Baetica. Córdoba is a major cultural focal point in Southern Europe, considered as one of the most beautifully preserved cities. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO the 17th of December 1984. We navigated around "Calleja de las Flores", which is one of the most typical streets in Cordoba: The Flower Street. Geraniums are the most popular flowers in Andalusia. We found many balconies with Geranium flowers in the streets of Cordoba.
Consuegra is located a short detour off the main highway to the south of Madrid. The windmills are very photogenic, eleven of them still remain today. They were made famous by the travels of the mad Knight, Don Quixote. For those not familiar with the book by Cervantes this is where he mistakes the moving arms of the windmills for giants and attacks them whilst his poor old sidekick Sancho Panza looks on in disbelief. Of course the hapless knight does come off second best.
Next we went to Toledo, a fortified city on a granite hill with its chief landmark, the impressive El Alcázar (fortified palace) on the highest point of the city. In the beginning the Romans used it as a palace but it was largely destroyed in the 1936 Spanish civil war. After the war the fortress was again restored; today it houses the Army's offices and a museum. Other notable medieval architectures in Toledo include the Alcántara or Saint Martin's Bridge, De Loz Reyes Church, the Gothic Cathedral, etc. The Plaza de España is one of Madrid's largest and most popular squares. There is the monument to Miguel de Cervantes. People are taking pictures in front of the bronze statues of Don Quixote on his horse and Sancho Panza on his mule. Behind them a is statue of Cervantes himself, looking over his creations.
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