Literary Routes around the World

The Cervantes Route

Any route centered on the author of Don Quixote, should start at the Madrilenian neighborhood of Las Letras, where the remains of Miguel de Cervantes and his wife have been discovered in the crypt of a Trinitarian convent. That is the conclusion of the high-profile search for his remains. This finding opens up new avenues of research, and in particular in connection to his grandmother, Doña Elvira de Cortinas, supposedly buried in the church San Juan Bautista de Arganda del Rey (Madrid). The finding of these remains increases the possibility of extracting usable mitochondrial DNA, which would not allow for direct identification of the man, but of his lineage. What is now clear is that Cervantes entered the convent of the Trinitarian order but never really left it.

The discovery of the tomb of this illustrious man of letters and true ambassador of the Spanish language is expected to attract thousands of visitors from every corner of the globe to the Madrilenian neighborhood of Las Letras. For now, the remains of Don Quixote’s author will rest below a funerary monument spanning one of the walls of the Trinitarian convent.

The Shakespeare Route

We couldn’t talk about the life of William Shakespeare without mentioning Stratford-upon-Avon. Everything in the birth town of this famous English playwright connects back to him. The home where he grew up has been open to the general public for 250 years with everything just as he left it, and one can tread the same ground he walked on

Other important stops on the Shakespeare Route are Mary Arden’s Farm, the childhood home of Shakespeare’s mother; Hall´s Croft (where his daughter Susanna lived), and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage in the residential part of Stratford (the home where his wife spent her childhood years and part of her youth). Other sites that marked Shakespeare’s life were Nash`s House and New Place. The former belonged to his granddaughter, Elizabeth, and the latter is the home where the famous playwright spent the last years of his life before passing away in 1616, in the same year as Miguel de Cervantes.

And it goes without saying, you can’t leave without visiting the church where his remains and those of his wife rest, near Avon River, in the Church of the Holy Trinity.

The Millennium Route

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest. They all have their place in Stockholm.

Ever since the sudden rise of the Millennium trilogy, after the unforeseen passing of its author, Stieg Larsson, many tourists flock to many of the places mentioned in his stories. These are the places we have seen many times in our mind’s eye, and which we can now see firsthand if we follow the Millennium Route.

There is no official guided tour, and so it is best to arm yourselves a reliable city map and find your way around. Don’t forget to take the books along, so that everything seems more real. And here are some essential addresses:

– Lisbeth Salander’s 21 room home: Find it at 9 Fiskargatan Street, crossing through the gangway of the Gondolen Building.

– Mikael Blomkvist’s home: 1, Bellmansgatan Street, in Södermalm.

– The court of law where Mikael is convicted: Monteliusvägen Street.

– The Mellqvist Kaffebar Bar, a key place in their relationship: 78 Hornsgatan Street.

– The head office of Millennium Magazine: Between Gotgatan and Hökens Gata Streets.

– And the 7-Eleven where Lisbeth would spend countless hours: 25 Götgatan Street.