Author: marionvermazen

I am a traveler, hiker, avid reader, Sun alumnus, computer geek, Spanish and French language student, knitter and genealogist. I am retired after working for almost 30 years in the Computer Industry. I live in Reno, Nevada with my husband Duke.

Verín to Baiona

We are overlooking the Atlantic tonight. We are in a Parador inside the Fortaleza de Monterreal overlooking the town of Baiona. This harbor is where Columbus’ ship the Pinta made land fall after Columbus and his fleet discovered the Indies. They have a replica of the Pinta in the harbor. It is very small!


We walked around the walls of the fortress this afternoon. 


When Duke was originally making reservations he wanted to stay here two nights but tomorrow night they were full so we could only stay one night. We wondered why they would be full in the middle of the week after Valentines Day. When we arrived we found out. They are setting up for a big conference of Coloproctologists. 

Salamanca to Verín

We drove our farthest distance so far on this trip today (165 miles). We also stayed almost entirely on main roads and divided highway. The infrastructure here seems excellent and well maintained. We are staying at Parador Castillo de Monterrei near the town of Verín in Galacia.   This Parador opened less than two years ago. 

As you can tell from my posts so far Duke and I really love Paradors.   Paradors are a government run hotel chain. In our  experience each one is unique but the quality is dependably high. They are often located in historic buildings like castles or monestaries. The one we are staying into tonight opened in 2015 but it is in a castle that was built in fourteenth century. 

The Parador we stayed at in Salamanca last night was in a new building but it had a stupendous view of Salamanca. 



On our last trip to Spain and Portugal we stayed in 14 Paradors. (One Parador is in Portugal.) This trip we are planning to stay in 14 different Paradors. There are 98 total so we will have to come back a few more times if we want to stay in all of them. 

The cost to stay in a Parador is usually quite reasonable, (often less than $100) especially in the off season and when you book in advance. Both of our trips have been in the off season. 

They have a program called Amigos where you get points for every dollar you spend in a Parador and then can use those points for free rooms. We expect to have four free nights on this trip. The Parador web site www.parador.es has a lot more information. They also have an app. 

After arriving at Castillo de Monterrei today we took a tour of the castle and climbed both towers. The guide told us the history of the castle and the church. I was impressed with the size of the key to the church, the thickness  of the walls, and the commanding views. We are only 10 kilometers from Portugal.  This castle was built for defensive purposes. 


We have a package deal here that includes dinner and breakfast. The restaurant doesn’t open for dinner until 8:30. We have adjusted our schedule to stay up late and sleep in on the morning.  Our meal tonight was wonderful. It was called the Monterrey Traditional menu. 

Ciudad Rodrigo to Salamanca

After having breakfast this morning at the Parador in Ciudad Rodrigo we headed  north to the prehistoric rock art site of Siego Verde. We took a tour with a guide of the animal carvings in the rocks near the river. The carvings were made about 20,000 years ago. 


It was cold and windy but it was very interesting to see representations of these animals made at the end of the last ice age. 

We continued exploring back roads in the area where the Duero and Gueda Rivers come together. There were big canyons and virtually no other cars 


Tonight we are in Salamanca. The Parador is a beautiful modern building. Can you believe that this is the view from the window of our room. 


For dinner we walked over to the main square. After dinner we took a taxi back to the Parador. 

Jarandilla to Ciudad Rodrigo

This morning after breakfast we checked out and went out to our car. We were surprised to see horses everywhere. It was a group of local equestrians preparing to ride the Ruta del
Emperador, which leads from Jarandilla to the Monastaria de Yuste. We walked up and down watching all the horses until they departed. It was interesting to see that the saddles had what almost looked like back rests and the stirrups were like a shelf.



According to Lonely Planet the Monastaria de Yuste is is “where Carlos I of Spain (also known as Carlos V of Austria) came in 1557 to prepare  for death after abdicating his emperorship over much of Western and Central Europe.”  While he was waiting for his accommodations at the monastery to be ready he stayed in the castle, now a Parador where we stayed in Jarandilla. We drove to the monastery and took the audio tour. I liked the gothic style of the church and the relatively modest king’s rooms.


After leaving the monastery we drove through mountains pretty much non stop to Ciudad Rodrigo which is not far from the border with Portugal. For part of the way we were in the clouds as we went over a pass.


The Parador where we are staying is built into the town wall. After checking in we climbed the tower to look out over the countryside.
Our room in this Parador is by far the nicest we have had. We have a round room in a tower. We could see our round room when we climbed the big tower.


As part of the romantic package which we have here we get a bottle of wine and a ham appetiser. We also get champagne and chocolates.  A big problem was deciding which one to drink. We decided to save the champagne for another day.


Dinner was great although none of my pictures really do it justice. This desert was a chocolate ball filled with cake and candy. Our waitress poured hot chocoltae over it at the table.

Oropesa to Jarandilla de la Vera

Today was a lazy day. We don’t always have breakfast included in the Paradores we stay at but this morning we did. It was a great way to start the day. 


After breakfast we visited the castle next to the Parador. It was fun to climb up each of the towers. 

Our drive from Orapesa to Jarandilla de la Vera was only about 60 miles. We checked in early and spent the afternoon in the lounge reading. 


We went for a walk. One of the things Jarandilla de la Vera its known for is Paprika. 


Our dinner was great. Especially my avocado salad and ice cream and chocolate sauce desert.