Along the way Don Quixote

Don Quixote is an integral part of the Spanish myth. Ancient castles, taverns, inns and museums are waiting for visitors from all over the world. Says our Madrid author Victor Cheretsky

How to get around the lock?

Ivan Tolstoy: For more than a dozen years in Spain, the so-called “Don Quixote” has been in Spain-a tourist route along the Spanish outback, where the hero of Roman Cervantes once wandered. In the summer, there are few tourists on this route - it’s too hot, but the autumn, as the Spanish guides say, is the right time to plunge into the fantastic and at the same time quite real world of the knight of the sad image.

Don Quixote is an integral part of the Spanish myth. Ancient castles, taverns, inns and museums are waiting for visitors from all over the world. Says our Madrid author Victor Cheretsky

Victor Cheretsky: ' ' The Don Quixote path, recognized as the cultural route of the Council of Europe, is mainly passing along the La-Manche, an extensive region in Central Spain, where one of the most famous literary heroes wandered in the time. These are three provinces-Toledo, Syudad-Real and Albaset. The main monuments associated with the actors of the novel and its author - Miguel de Cervantes are concentrated here. However, some routes cover the nearby Madrid region, lead to the south-to Andaluzia-or to the northeast-through Aragon to Catalonia, which was also visited by Don Quixote.

On the way of a total length of 2500 km there are many beautiful medieval cities and villages, which have changed little since the beginning of the 17th century, when a novel was written. There are numerous fortresses and castles, palaces, temples and monasteries. The nature of the La-Manchi is diverse: it is mainly a plain, but there are mountains covered with forests, lakes, vineyards, olive groves, natural reserves with many birds.

Don Quixote routes have been studied in Spain for a long time

Tourists are invited to do part of the path on horseback or bicycles. By the way, Don Quixote routes have been studied in Spain for a long time, and the first work on this topic was published back in 1780. Today there are ten such routes. The sights, somehow related to the 'cunning Idalgo' ', are everywhere marked with a special sign-a sign with a white oblique cross and with an appropriate inscription. These are, first of all, places whose names appear in the novel. But not only. The fact is that Don Quixote, like most other characters, had prototypes who lived in specific villages and committed actions, then described in the work of Cervantes. They also resemble the signs. Francisco Javier Eskudero, a historian, is just engaged in the search for archival documents related to people who inspired the author to create images of the heroes of the novel.

Francisco Javier Eskudero: the inhabitants of La-Manchi always considered Don Quixote '' '' '. This is our hero. Hence the desire to know about him as much as possible. Documents found in the archives confirm the hypothesis that Don Quixote and other actors had prototypes, they were behind them real people and their acts. And this is of interest not only in Spain, but throughout the world. After all, it was possible to find personalities-nobles-idalgo and commoners, whose extraordinary actions were used in the novel. For example, the archive has a manuscript describing a story with windmills, which is very similar to the one that has become one of the most memorable in Cervantes. This document is stored in the bishopal archive of the city of Kuenca. There is generally a lot of material dating back to the end of the XVI and the beginning of the XVII century, including more than 40 cases excited by the Inquisition. Among the latter, we discovered, at first glance, uninteresting paperwork from 1595 regarding a certain brand of Agustin Ernandes. But, starting to read the manuscript, we realized that we found exactly what we were looking for.

Victor Cheretsky: It was a question in the found document about the resident of Toboso, the town in La-Manche-in the province of Toledo. This place is often mentioned in Cervantes - mainly in connection with the imaginary lady of the heart Don Quixote, which is living there, the noble Dulsine of the Tobosa ''. Although, in accordance with the novel, she was actually a peasant Aldons Lorenso. Along the way, we note that today in this town there is a Dulsinea Museum. As for the case of Ernandes, it was considered by the Inquisition in the claim of the two millers who accused the branded of causing damage to their property. He tried to chop with a sword - it seems to be at the teaching of the devil himself - the wings of the windmill. That is, he committed an act that is very reminiscent of the attributed Don Quixote. The latter, as you know, took the mills for 'monstrous giants''.

Augustin was literally obsessed with the idea of chivalry

Francisco Javier Eskudero: It is curious that at the beginning of the document it is said about Agustine Ernandes. But then, delving into reading, from the same case we learn that we are talking about a person whose real name is Ortis. He is the son of Miguel Ortis, a noble nobleman and a knight of the Order of St. John the Baptist. To his misfortune, Agustin was a bastard, illegitimate, whom the local branded raised, having introduced to his profession. But he considered himself Idalgo - he was literally obsessed with the idea of chivalry: he wore a sword and was distinguished by the inappropriate bruise with an overly belligerent disposition. By the way, other characters, the stories of which Cervantes used in his novel, also lived in Toboso. This village became, as it were, the center of the story, around which many events unfolded.

Victor Cheretsky: Note that the obligatory point of stopping of tourists following along the 'Way of Don Quixote' 'is located near Toboso Voronya Holm-Mota del Caervo. Here since ancient times there have been windmills. It is believed that it was with them that “Ernandez fought”, and Don Quixote himself. These mills are in working condition, and some of them are still used for grinding. Everything is here in the old fashioned way: the name of the winds blowing from one or another direction, and even the measure of weight - Phange. Says Melnik Juan Sanchez.

Mills are like ancient manuscript books

Juan Sanchez: Since childhood, I liked the mills at our village. I wanted to join the practically lost profession. And so I have been working Melnik for 14 years. The old people taught me how to follow the wind in order to turn the mill to him in time. Which winds are better for grinding. On the day, if the power of the wind favors, we wrap 4-5 plywood of flour. One Phange is 75 kilograms. In the summer, for example, we work at night, because in the afternoon - complete calm. Our task is to use any wind. But the main thing is to monitor the correct work of the mill, avoiding breakdowns. After all, now there are no such mechanisms. Mills are like ancient manuscript books that you need to use with great caution so that they serve as long as possible. This is a big responsibility.

Victor Cheretsky: Mills on a raven hill are probably remembered by Aldon Lorenso - Dulsinei. Did she have any prototype? Sancho Pansa praised her to his master, saying that “any wandering or just going to wander the knight, if she agrees to become his lover, she will be behind her, like behind a stone wall ... And most importantly, she is not at all crooks - that’s expensive, ready for any services” ''.

Francisco Javier Eskudero: Since the time of Diego Clemensin, a scientist who studied the work of Cervantes in the 19th century, it was believed that a certain Ana Saro de Morales was the prototype of Dulsinea. However, in the archives there is not a single document confirming the existence of this woman. There is no record of her baptism, nor about death. Clemensin allegedly made some requests in Toboso, but I am sure that he did not have written evidence on this.

Meanwhile, we found another, more real prototype. This is Maria Alonso, the wife of Francisco de Akveni, a local shear. By the way, Francisco had Shurin, who was called Pedro Alonso, like one of the characters of the novel - a neighbor Don Quixote. And in the cute Mary, baptized by either the Jews or the Mohammedans, in accordance with the materials from the inquisition archive, in addition to her husband, there was still a permanent lover - a nobleman. In addition, it was considered among local residents a victim of witchcraft, which attracted the attention of the Inquisition to it. It seems that Maria Alonso could well suit Cervantes as a prototype of Dulsinea.

Victor Cheretsky: the historian Francisco Javier Eskudero also discovered the place where Toboso was the Venta Mentioned by Cervantes - a roadside inn. As you know, Don Quixote considered this “vete” “Vezt”, where important persons lived, and persuaded the contents of the institution to devote it to the knights in the presence of “noble ladies ''. The latter, in fact,, as it is evident from the novel, were priestesses of love, who served the guests '' Venta ''.

Francisco Javier Eskudero: A curious place to understand the situation in which our Idalgo made his first adventures is an old tract that leads from Toledo to Mussia. The road connected Central Spain with the southeastern coast. It was on it that the knights of the Order of St. James founded Toboso back in the 13th century. The Order defended this important trade tract, along which valuable goods were often carried, distilled cattle and so on. Well, during the time of Cervantes there was an inn, called '' Manhabakas '' - as well as a depopulated settlement located nearby. In the building that once belonged to the knights of St. James, a roadside institution was located. Apparently, therefore, Cervantes made his hero imagine that he was not in the usual “vete” '', but in the castle to the knights. As for the small homeland of Don Quixote, she, apparently, was 30 kilometers from the inn '' Manhabakas ''.

One of those Idalgo whose property lies in the family spear, the ancient shield and a skinny nagging

Victor Cheretsky: It is known that Cervantes deliberately does not indicate the village of Don Quixote. The novel begins: '' In some place of La-Manchi, which I have no hunting to remember, there was one of those Idalgo, whose property lies in the family spear, an ancient shield and a skinny nag ... '', therefore, that literary critics diverge about the place where the Don dwells before going on wanderings, and at the same time they call different settlements of different settlements La-Manchi. Argamasilla de alba, Kintanar de la-Orin, Willianueva de Los Infantes and some others are mentioned. By the way, all these villages are marked for tourists with signs '' Way of Don Quixote ''. Eskudero, scoring from the archives, has its own version of the place of residence of the literary hero. He calls the place of Miguel Esteban. Why?

Francisco Javier Eskudero: The fact is that in the 16th century 80 percent of the population of this village were impoverished nobles, which belonged to Don Quixote. In particular, the genus Vilmashenor lived here, which Cervantes mentions in the novel 'Wandering Persles and Sihism.' ' Among the inhabitants of Miguel Esteban was a man who was clearly reminiscent of Don Quixote with his strange acts. His name was Andres de Carion.

One fine day, he had a lawsuit with one of the neighbors, and for some reason he, perhaps, under the influence of the books read, decided to appear in court in the image of a knight. To demonstrate your nobility, first of all, a horse was needed. Andres had enough funds only to acquire an old lame nag, like the Donkihotovsky Rosinant. She was in such a state that one day she fell, and Karion's friends had to drag her in her arms in the stable. He did not have the servants who were supposed to accompany the knight either.

Passers -by laughed at him

Having hired, like Don Quixote, a local peasant under the promise of future awards, he went on a nag and a servant on a donkey in a nearby village where the court was located, and with a proud look traveled along his streets. Well, passers -by laughed at him. It should also be borne in mind that Miguel Esteban is only a few kilometers from Toboso. But the novel directly says that Don Quixote lived near the subject of his lust, that is, Dulsinea of Tobos.

Victor Cheretsky: The manhabakas already mentioned by us, like many others, has not been preserved, but an institution called Venta de la-ines still exists, and in its original form, without any external changes. The inn is located in the province of Syudad-Real, on the road from Toledo to Cordoba and Seville, and it can be examined. There are rooms for guests with old massive furniture, a kitchen with a huge hearth, a stable, a courtyard. The local historian Eduardo Echido does not exclude that Cervantes himself stopped in this place. Venta de la-ines is described in his short story '' Rinkete and Cortadillo ''.

Eduardo Echido: This is probably the only ancient inn that was preserved in our places, and in all of La-Manche, which is also used. It has been contained for several centuries Ferero's family. This `` `ed in official documents in the middle of the 16th century is mentioned twice. They describe the roads of La-Manchi and, accordingly, the places where travelers-merchants, royal messengers, shepherds, distilling cattle-could stop.

Victor Cheretsky: A little imagination-and we can imagine that the wandering knight himself leaves from the gates of the inn at his skinny Rosinant, and the gray pantage is cowardly behind him. Don Quixote was lying to the province of Albaset-to a terrain called Campo de Monthel. Here is the famous Montesinos cave, in which enchanted characters allegedly lived in ancient times. True, then quite real bats inhabited in the cave, who was pretty scared by the knight. They are able to scare modern visitors to the cave. The literary critic Paki Vitoria tells.

Cervantes sent Don Quixote to the world of dreams

Pack Vitoria: Cervantes sent Don Quixote to the world of dreams. Adventures in the cave are dreams based on read knightly novels. In the cave, he meets with a knight Montesinos, the hero of the medieval romance, and Ballad collections. The hero tells Don Quixote that he is in the power of the sorcerer, like other mythical personalities. This is a knight Durantart and his beloved Belerm. Well, the lady Ruider, her seven daughters and nieces, sobbing in a cave, were turned by a sorcerer into the lakes. And although Montesinos himself and other heroes were bewitched more than 500 years ago, none of them died.

Victor Cheretsky: Along the way, we note that the lakes of the Ruists actually exist and are located on the territory of the natural reserve, which is considered a unique corner of the nature of La-Manchi. Thus, traveling along the Don Quixote route, we constantly move from the world of literary fictions to the real world.

Indeed, over many years, researchers managed to establish - more or less accurately - the places where the events of the novel were unfolding. So, the abduction of the basin basin, which, in the imagination of Don Quixote, was the magic helmet of King Mavrov, occurred in the way from the town of Almagro to the Bolanos-de-Kalatrava. The liberation of convicts is between the city of Waldutenas and the village of Almuradiel. As for the attempt to fight the lions, after which Don Quixote called himself '' Lviv knight '', it occurred in the way to the Belmont Castle, located in the village under the same name.

Well, not far from the already mentioned museum of mythical Dulsinea in Toboso is the Cervantine Museum, where, in particular, there is the largest collection of publications in the world of Don Quixote '' '. The local historian Carlos Montagnes says.

Carlos Montagnes: “Culture has no boundaries and barriers '',” reads a gift inscription made on one of the 630 copies of “Don Quixote '', published in 60 languages and stored in the Toboso Museum. The last admission to the museum is a translation into the Majorkin dialect of the Catalan language. There is “Don Quixote” in Arabic, Lithuanian, Japanese, Slovenian, Russian, Afrikans and so on.

There is a gift from Mussolini and even Hitler

The museum was opened in the 20s of the last century, and since then its collection has only been growing. Here are also collected musical works and films created in different countries according to the novel of Cervantes. Some books were donated by famous figures and have their autographs, for example, one of the publications in English was presented by US President Ronald Reagan. There is a gift from Mussolini and even Hitler, however, the last “Don Quixote '” did not like it, and he granted the museum “Song of the Nibelungs'', whose fan was.

Victor Cheretsky: There is a Museum of Cervantes and in the village of Eskivisas. In the house where the museum is located, the 37-year-old writer, who had previously survived a lot of adversity, including the war with the Turks, severe wounds and Algerian captivity, settled in 1584 after his wedding with a native of this village, 18-year-old Cataline de Salasar and Palace. Susana Garcia, director of the museum.

Susana Garcia: Immediately after marriage, Cervantes moved to his wife in Eskivis - to the house that once belonged to her relative Alonso Kihada de Salasar. This man was Idalgo and loved knightly novels. He lived at the end of the XV and early XVI centuries, when these novels were in great fashion. Похоже, что Сервантес выбрал его в качестве главного прототипа своего героя Алонсо Кихано, слегка изменив фамилию. Ведь Дон Кихот – это всего лишь псевдоним, который взял рыцарь печального образа перед тем как отправиться в странствия. В приходских архивах Эскивьяс XVI века мы обнаружили записи о крещении, заключении браков и смерти некоторых людей, чьи имена и фамилии Сервантес присвоил людям из окружения Дон Кихота. Это, к примеру, бакалавр Самсон Карраско, которому удалось вернуть рыцаря из странствий домой, местные крестьяне и крестьянки, слуги, содержатели постоялых дворов и другие персонажи.

Виктор Черецкий: Между тем историк Франсиско Хавьер Эскудеро нашел в архивах данные о человеке, довольно образованном, который жил во времена Сервантеса, мог лично знать писателя и поведать ему уже упомянутые и другие истории, отраженные затем в романе.

Франсиско Хавьер Эскудеро: Мы знаем, что многие события, изложенные Сервантесом, происходили в конкретном и довольно ограниченном географическом пространстве – вокруг Тобосо. Это вента Манхабакас, Вороний холм, поселки Мигель-Эстебан, Кинтанар-де-ла-Орден, Аргамасилья-де-Альба и другие. Ну а Сервантес жил в Эскивьяс, относительно далеко от упомянутых мест.

Он прекрасно знал некоторых людей, чьи поступки Сервантес воспроизвел в романе

И вот нам удалось найти имя человека, который был хорошо информирован о происходящем в окрестностях Тобосо и одновременно мог общаться с Сервантесом в Эскивьяс. Этого человека звали Алонсо Мануэль де Луденья. Он много лет жил в Кинтанар-де-ла-Орден и даже являлся знаменосцем местного ополчения, то есть занимал довольно почетную по тому времени должность. Алонсо Мануэль был землевладельцем, имел виноградники и винные погреба. Но главное, он прекрасно знал некоторых людей, чьи поступки Сервантес воспроизвел в романе. К примеру, собственными глазами видел смехотворный спектакль, который устроил перед судом, оседлав клячу, Андрес де Карион. Ну а напавший на мельницу Ортис был его кузеном.

В Эскивьяс, куда Алонсо Мануэль де Луденья переселился позднее, у него были дела с семьей жены Сервантеса, которой приходился дальним родственником. Он оптом продавал вино, посредничал в аренде земельных угодий и так далее. Так что логично предположить, что именно Луденья мог поведать писателю некоторые из описанных в романе историй.

Виктор Черецкий: Известно также, что после женитьбы Сервантес, который постоянно испытывал финансовые трудности, отыскал для себя доходную, но довольно хлопотную должность – стал служить уполномоченным по снабжению продовольствием королевского флота. Он разъезжает по стране и всегда ведет что-то вроде дневника – описывает обстановку, местные нравы, свои впечатления от увиденного. Рассказывает исследователь творчества писателя Андрес Трапэльо.

Андрес Трапэльо: В течение ряда лет Сервантес занимался заготовкой масла, муки и других продуктов для военного флота. Его дела шли в гору – он хорошо зарабатывал. Писателя даже повысили в должности – назначили сборщиком налогов. Он ездил из поселка в поселок и взимал деньги с должников. И все это время не прекращал своей литературной деятельности: составлял путевые заметки, писал небольшие рассказы, в основном сатирического плана. Тогда и появился его коротенький рассказ о пожилом идальго, сошедшем с ума от чтения рыцарских романов и предпринявшем странствия в поисках приключений и подвигов. Оставив государственную службу, Сервантес стал просматривать свои ранее написанные произведения, и, судя по всему, рассказ о сумасшедшем дворянине ему показался наиболее любопытным – и он решил доработать его до большого романа.

Виктор Черецкий: Добавим, что на всех маршрутах, связанных с Дон Кихотом, в наши дни существует современная сеть обслуживания туристов. Это, в первую очередь, гостиницы и рестораны. О последних особый разговор.

В этих заведениях, как правило, помимо блюд современной европейской и испанской кухни предлагаются старинные блюда из так называемого ''Меню Дон Кихота''. К нему подается местное вино Ла-Манчи. Кстати, еда рыцаря печального образа упоминается в первой же главе романа. В русском переводе в издании 2019 года мы читаем, что Дон Кихот ел ''похлебку из овощей с говядиной да винегрет, который ему подавали на ужин; по пятницам он постился, довольствуясь тарелкой вареной на воде чечевицы, зато по воскресеньям лакомился жареным голубем''. Небогато.

К счастью Дон Кихота, да и туристов, которые желают приобщиться к его еде, речь идет лишь об ошибках перевода. Никакой похлебкой и тем более винегретом – блюдом, о существовании которого в Испании даже неизвестно, – героя Сервантеса не потчевали. Кроме того, в переводе совсем упущено одно из главных составляющих его меню, а именно яичница со свиной грудинкой и ''чорисо''- пикантной колбасой с паприкой. Ну а постную чечевицу в Испании всегда готовили с добавлением обжаренного лука, помидоров, моркови, других овощей и специй, так что это блюдо получается довольно вкусным.

Более подробно о меню Дон Кихота рассказывает кулинар Глория Мартин.

Глория Мартин: Что ел этот человек? На обед – горячее блюдо с вареной говядиной и бараниной, причем говядины использовалось при приготовлении больше, чем баранины, так как она была дешевой. К мясу добавлялись разные овощи, в том числе картофель и капуста. Подобное блюдо в Испании едят до сих пор под названием ''косидо''. По вечерам Дон Кихот ел ''сальпикон''. Это всего лишь остатки обеденного мяса: люди выпивали днем бульон, поедали овощи и часть мяса. Оставшееся мелко рубили, добавляли лук, заправляли оливковым маслом и уксусом – ели на ужин в холодном виде. Это и был ''сальпикон''.

Виктор Черецкий: Кстати, блюда из меню Дон Кихота в придорожной ''венте'' или поселковой таверне вам непременно подают, как в старину, в глиняной посуде. Большинство этих заведений стилизованы под времена странствующего рыцаря. И это дополнительно позволяет проникнуться атмосферой романа, в котором так причудливо переплетаются реальность с вымыслом, безумие со здравым смыслом, мечты с действительностью, старина и сегодняшний день.