I have always loved books. From when I was a little girl I have always had this fascination with those bundles of pages that hold adventures, fears, experiences, dreams... I remember that my grandmother loved--well, still loves--going to yard sales and Salvation Army stores where she buys a bunch of cheap stuff which really serves no purpose. When I first got
to the States as a teenager my eyes would scan the different stores, backyards or whatever places we ended up visiting on those bittersweet Saturday trips, mostly to New Hampshire, and automatically walk to the spot where the books were; even if I couldn't read them because I spoke no English. One of my favorite books of all time is Don Quijote. I rea
d it when I was about 13 years old. The story of the crazy knight fighting every injustice and always longing for his beloved Dulcinea was just one of the most amazing reads ever. I was completely absorbed by it. So when I finally got to visit La Mancha in Spain this summer I was in heaven. We went to the Molinos. Obviously, they're not the Cervantes molinos but they're still so, way cool. I was completely in love with the Molinos to the point that my friends drove away threatening to leave me if I didn't let go. Finally, they did drive away but had to come back just a bit so that I could get in the car. We sat down by the Molino store--yes, capitalism is the best... the most sublime structures can become a convenience store in the middle of Saffron fields
. In any event, we took out a blanket and sat under the shade of one of the Molinos. There, with the fragrant wind enveloping us and overlooking the valley of Castilla-La Mancha, we had a succulent lunch of jamon, tortilla española, pan, atun among other staples of Spanish cuisine. It was great. I even took a little power nap until Jose--our friend, guide and driver--stopped chatting with the store attendant and we headed on our wa
y to new adventures. I felt very Quijotesca, in a more luxurious sorta way. Los Molinos were amazing both inside and outside. They had names from the book, such as Rosinante and others. I was elated.
Here are some of La Mancha pictures:
the valley... 
molino...
molino...