GRAN VIA, Plaza De Espana

And now we've finally reached Plaza de España, one of the city's largest squares forming the great interlude between Calle Gran Vía and its perfect uphill extension, Calle Princesa. The square is dominated by a pair of towers, España Tower and Madrid Tower which were designed by the Otemandi brothers, one an architect, the other an engineer, and were built in the fifties as proud skyscrapers of a capital which was casting itself towards modernity after the horrors of the civil war.

If you want to admire them in their entirety, I suggest going to the very center of the square, passing by the shells fountain until you reach the pool reflecting the granite monument dedicated to Miguel de Cervantes. This impressive sculpture was erected in honor of the third most important centenary of Spanish literature: "Don Quixote". Under the stone figure of the writer you can see his literary sons in bronze, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, and to make the playing field even they've been joined by the novel's two main female characters, Dulcinea and Aldonza....