One of my favorite spots in Madrid last month was the Plaza de España with its monument to Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616), the author of "Don Quijote de la Mancha" (1605/1615). A stone statue of Cervantes himself is high on a pedestal; down below are bronze sculptures by Lorenzo Coullaut Valera (1876-1932): Don Quijote is riding on his horse Rocinante followed by his squire Sancho Panza on his donkey. Quijote holds his lance up in his left hand and raises his right hand high in the air, while Sancho slouches down behind him, carefully holding the reins in his right hand, with his expressive left hand held above his thigh. (Andrew Shields, #111Words, 1 September 2026)