Tilting at windmills

The area of Spain that was home to the ficitious Don Quixote is spending $66 million to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of Miguel de Cervantes' acclaimed masterpiece, Don Quixote. A Quixote Festival will include theatrical performances - many Quixote themed. They will take place on the “stages, main plazas, bullrings, cloisters and patios of El Toboso, Esquivias, Argamasilla de Alba and other towns and villages throughout Castile-La Mancha. In August, the renowned Almagro Classical Theatre Festival will showcase Cervantes' works in Europe's last remaining medieval theatre. A traveling tartina will come to 50 villages which do not have their own auditoriums,” says Travel Video Television. Also of interest is the Route of Don Quixote, which showcases the places of the ficitious knights journey. “The ruta starts in the region's capital of Toledo … and continues through five provinces and some 2,000 sites of cultural interest including 20 nature reserves. Brochures detailing the ten different itineraries and the Castile-La Mancha region are available online. Designated a green and sustainable tour, the ruta can be done on foot, by bicycle or by car. Visitors can stay at more than 50 hotels, inns, agrotourism lodgings and paradors. Seventy percent is adapted for disabled travelers.”