The House of Cervantes

Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) is considered to have been the greatest Spanish writer of all time, and his novel Don Quixote is one of the masterpieces of world literature.  Anyone who is a student of Spanish literature or a fan of the Quixote, will want to make a quick visit to the House of Cervantes Museum in Valladolid.

In 1601 Valladolid briefly became the capital of Spain.  Since Cervantes worked for the government as a tax collector, he and his family moved from Madrid in 1603 and rented this  house.  We know that this is the exact house where he lived because of court records.  When a Knight of the Order of Santiago was murdered on the street outside the house, Cervantes and his neighbors were rounded up and held in the city jail for a few days while the authorities investigated the case.  

The furnishings of the house did not belong to Cervantes, but are all antiques from his era and reflect life in early 17th century Spain.  The inventory of his wife's dowry and his daughter's will were used to approximate the furnishings that might have been in their home.

The Cervantes family lived here until 1606 when the capital was moved back to Madrid.  During his time in Valladolid Cervantes published the first part of his novel Don Quixote.  

An interesting feature of Spanish homes of the era was that women had their own separate room.  Here they would work and talk while seated on cushions placed on a raised dais.  This tradition is the result of the centuries of Muslim occupation in Spain.  

Even though this was not actually the writer's desk, it is nice to imagine that Cervantes sat in this room, working on his literary masterpieces.

 

Not to be Missed in Valladolid

Valladolid is a large, industrial city that is not usually visited by foreign tourists.  However it is a very historic city... for a few years in the early 1600s it was even the capital of Spain.  There are a still a few places in the city which make it worth a day of sightseeing.

The most important sight to see in Valladolid is the National Museum of Sculpture.  It is housed in the fifteenth century School of San Gregorio... an outstanding work of architecture.

The building was constructed in the ornate Isabelline Gothic style... so named because it was popular in Spain during the reign of Queen Isabella.  (if you don't see much difference between Isabelline Gothic and the "plateresco" style I talked about a few days ago... that's OK.  Neither do I.)

The main courtyard of the building...

One of the stairwells...

The museum contains sculpture dating from the fifteenth through the seventeenth centuries.  Most of it is religious art, and much of it was rescued from monasteries that were confiscated by the government in the1800s.

Even if you are not religious, you cannot help but be amazed by some of the displays in this museum.

The monastery of San Benito, which was located in Valladolid, had an enormous altarpiece done by one of the leading sixteenth century sculptors.  It takes three rooms to display the pieces that survive from this altarpiece.

 To give you an idea of the scale of these pieces, the image of San Benito, in the center, is much larger than life size.  Being able to see these sculptures close up and at ground level, rather than high up on the church altar, enables you to better appreciate the sculptor's artistry

Also saved from the monastery of San Benito are the choir stalls, a masterpiece of woodcarving.

As you go through the museum, be sure to look up.  In many of the rooms there are beautiful ceilings, which were either the original ceilings of the School of San Gregorio or which were brought to the museum from other buildings.

This museum definitely makes the city of Valladolid worth a visit!

As a side note, I asked one of the guards a question about an altarpiece.  He was very kind and started giving me all sorts of information.  However his Castillian accent was sooo thick that I could hardly understand a word that he was saying.  He went on and on, and I just stood there and nodded.  When it seemed that he was finally finished, I smiled, said "Muchas gracias", and continued to the next room.

I usually don't have that much difficulty with the Castillian accent; in fact I rather like it.  At first I thought he might be speaking with a Galician accent, because I do find that accent very hard to understand.  But as he continued talking, I could tell he wasn't Galician, and I was catching the "th" sound, sort of like lisping, that is characteristic of Castillian. 

Oh well, it's sort of like when we watch BBC dramas, and struggle to understand some of the thick British accents.

Fiesta!! ...and Tapas!!

Just by coincidence my stay in Valladolid, Spain, coincides with their annual Festival of the Virgin of San Lorenzo... and when I wandered out last night to get some supper, I found myself in the middle of a fiesta.

The "Plaza Mayor" (Main Plaza) was filled with people.  They were watching local groups perform traditional folk dances

.

  The city hall was decorated and illuminated for the festivities.

Branching out from the plaza, the bars and restaurants had set up stands on the streets.

I went into one of the tapas bars.  Because so many of the people were out on the street, the interior was not overly crowded.  I was even able to sit at the bar.  I think I was the only non-Spaniard in the place.  The waiter looked like a rather dour Spanish gentleman, until you spoke with him, and a smile spread across his face.

They didn't have sangríá, so I ordered a similar beverage called "tinto de verano" (red summer wine).  Actually, I think that is a better choice. since some places make their sangría too sweet.

I then decided to try out some tapas.  As I have said before, I don't care for shellfish, so that immediately eliminates quite a few choices.  Also, forget about tripe or other organs.  Still there were quite a few appetizing choices on the menu.

I began with "salmorejo"... a thicker version of "gazpacho".  Yummy!  So far, so good.

I then ordered "patatas bravas"... potatoes with a spicy sauce.  This place also added mayonnaise.   A bit heavy on the mayonnaise, but it was tasty.

  
I saved the best for last... a plate of thinly shaved Iberian ham.  This was the real thing... made from free-range pigs that have a diet of acorns.  Once you've tasted "jamón ibérico de bellota", that pale stuff we call ham at home will never compare.

So at long last I found a good, non-touristy tapas bar serving my favorite Spanish foods!

It turned out to be a great evening.

 

An Evening in the "Wet District"

Last night, my last night in León, I wandered around that portion of the old town which is known as "El Barrio Húmedo"... loosely translated as the "Wet District".  This maze of narrow streets and little plazas is filled with restaurants and bars.

 

Granted, it was a week night, but it seemed that by 10 PM this hub of nightlife was starting to wind down.
 
I sat down at a table of one of the "tapas" bars for a bite to eat.  I ordered a sangría and a serving of ham croquettes.

The sangría was a bit too sweet.  The croquettes were OK, but I have had better.  I'm just not having luck picking places to eat on this trip!  

The waiter, however, was very affable, and when I asked him about the origin of the neighborhood's name, he explained that there are three theories.  The first is that it's called the "Wet District" simply because there is so much drinking going on in the area's more than 100 bars.  The second, the one I like the best, is that in the old days carts would carry large, uncovered vats of wine to the bars.  As the carts traveled over the bumpy cobble-stone streets, the wine would slosh out of the containers and wet the streets.  The third, more mundane theory, is that due to subterranean rivers under the neighborhood, the streets flood easily during the autumn rains.  

This afternoon I left León on the train to Valladolid.  It was a two hour trip, and there were very few passengers.  I don't think that there were more than a half dozen people in my car.

Adiós, León

and

Hola, Valladolid...

  ...where they are celebrating a "fiesta" this week!

The town is really hopping!