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Spain |
|
 |
Language(s) | Spanish |
 |
Currency | Euro (€) |
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Phone Code | +34 |
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Population | 45,200,737 |
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Area | 504,030 sq km |
 |
Capital | Madrid |
 |
GDP | $1.44 trillion |
|
Spain |
|
|
Language(s) | Spanish |
|
Currency | Euro (€) |
|
Phone Code | +34 |
|
Population | 45,200,737 |
|
Area | 504,030 sq km |
|
Capital | Madrid |
|
GDP | $1.44 trillion |
In the Path of Don Quixote
Miguel de Cervantes
Was Don Quixote even half the man his creator was? Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) was born outside of Madrid. When young, he developed a love of books and eventually swore off a university education. His first poem was published at the age of 21, the same year he was forced to flee the country for Italy following assault accusations. His life, as an itinerant adventurer, had begun. In Naples he enlisted as a soldier with the Spanish infantry. Relations between the Ottoman Empire and the Spanish-Italian confederacy had reached a breaking point, and Cervantes found himself in the midst of a significant naval battle a year after his enlistment. Stricken with fever, he reportedly refused to lie below decks during the battle and emerged as a valiant fighter, receiving two gunshot wounds to the chest and another to his left hand that would render it useless for the rest of his life. The Ottoman Turks had lost their hold over the Mediterranean. Cervantes’ life as a distinguished soldier would play out over the next few years until his planned return to Spain.
More on In the Path of Don Quixote below:
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