Consuegra: the windmills of Don Quixote

From East to West, crossing Spain on the road, in summer, the most characteristic scenery that remains engraved in the memory are the immense wind blades that stand out as far as the eye can see on the horizon, like white stems emerging from the golden fields just reaped and dotted with bales of hay.

Summer temperatures are high, but the incessant wind that lashes the Spanish plains and highlands mitigates the summer heat. The wind is a constant presence and it is no coincidence that wind generators are widespread throughout the territory. In Spain, wind energy is the country's first source of electricity and is clearly evident from the density of wind farms in the lowlands. However, these power generators have a more romantic origin: windmills. During our journey from the sunny South to the rainy North, we stopped in an arid plateau south of Toledo, where the town of Consuegra is located.

This town is part of the so-called Ruta de Don Quijote, a route that traces the journey of the famous character created by Miguel de Cervantes. The stop-over in Consuegra consists of a group of 12 windmills that are the protagonists of the famous battle of Don Quijote against the mills.

At this point they came in sight of thirty forty windmills that there are on plain, and as soon as Don Quixote saw them he said to his squire, "Fortune is arranging matters for us better than we could have shaped our desires ourselves, for look there, friend Sancho Panza, where thirty or more monstrous giants present themselves, all of whom I mean to engage in battle and slay [...]"What giants?" said Sancho Panza. "Those thou seest there," answered his master, "with the long arms, and some have them nearly two leagues long." "Look, your worship," said Sancho; "what we see there are not giants but windmills, and what seem to be their arms are the sails that turned by the wind make the millstone go."

El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha

The buildings, dating back to the 17th century, are perfectly preserved: some mills are still working, others house tourist offices and souvenir shops. They are located on a hill that offers an exceptional view of the surrounding arid plains, and the small town, a silent cluster of houses, some bars that seems to stand still in the 80s and small shops with shutters down at siesta time.

Each mill has a name, positioned on the front door, which pays homage to a character from the tales of de Cervantes. They deserve a short stop to enjoy the surrounding landscape and take some photos.