Category: Europe 2017

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.

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.

Our Parador last night was originally a hunting lodge for the King. There are hiking trails in the area that are used a lot in the summer. We have seen many signs that say no mushroom collecting without a permit.

Today was a typical day for our style of travel. We only had to go about 50 miles to our next Parador so after a leisurely start we set off on some back roads to see what we would see.

We drove up the country roads to a trailhead for many of the hikes called La Plataforma. The temperature was around 40 degrees but The stone hiking trail was covered in ice. In many places there was water flowing under the ice creating strange patterns. Many of the rocks were covered in green lichen. We were able to avoid the ice and hike up quite a ways.

We followed a different road down from the trailhead and saw two different kinds of animals. One big group looked like mountain goats but I suspect were Spanish ibex. The other animals were more spaced out. They were bigger and we saw about ten of them. They may have been Wester Spanish Ibex.

Near the pass through these mountains there is a very well preserved and impressive Roman road.

Lower down we drove through flat area of oak trees and saw a pig enjoying himself near the road. I suspect he has a future as a ham!! We also saw lots of interesting birds including cranes and storks.

The Parador in Oropesa is former palace of a Spanish noble family. We have the romantic package so this was waiting in our room.

Our bottle of wine at dinner was included in the package as was a plate of jamon.

We shared a smoked tuna salad. I don’t know what happened to Duke’s eyes in this picture!

We shared a main course of octopus. It had beautiful presentation but I forgot to take a picture until I had cut it into four pieces. It was yummy. We also shared a desert.

This morning we explored Segovia. Segovia has town walls, a stunning cathedral, a palace called the Alcázar and most famously, a Roman Aqueduct that was built in the first century. The aqueduct is built with only the stones, no mortar! At its highest it is almost 100 feet tall. 

After checking out of our Parador we drove into town and looked for a parking place. We found a elevator underground parking garage. The sign said you pull in center your car according to the electronic signs and then leave the car.  We watched another car go in. After she got out and used the machine to pay the door closed and her car dissapeared. Duke tried to use it to park our car but the electronic sensors said our car was too wide. We ended up parking in a conventional garage. Every parking space had a sensor and you found an empty site by following the signs and looking for a green light over a parking space. 

We went to the tourist office and got a map and some suggestions for a walking tour of Segovia. Our first stop was a small Jewish museum. In the 1400’s Segovia had a thriving Jewish quarter. In 1492 all Jews were expelled from Spain. The museum told the history of the Jews and the Jewish quarter in Segovia. 

Our next stop was a one of the gates in the wall. We were able to go up on the wall and even see the slot where the portico gate would have been lowered. 

Although the temperature was around 40 degrees and the air was cold it was a stunning day to explore the narrow streets of Segovia. 

We stopped at the Castle (the Alcázar) where Queen Isabela and other royals lived and then walked by the cathedral. 

From Segovia we drove to Avila. On the way into town we stoped at a store that reminded me of Walmart. We picked up bottles of water and some snacks. When we went to check out we discovered that we should have had our fruit weighed and priced in the produce department.  The check out clerk asked a lady, who I think was a supervisor, to take the fruit back and take care of it. She was on roller skates and was back in nothing flat!!

The old center of Avila is surrounded by beautiful walls. The narrow streets were deserted when we walked around. All the shops and restaurants are customarily closed from 2:00 until 5:00. We did find one restaurant open where we could get a cup of coffee. 

From Avila we drove to our Parador at Gredos. It was the very first Parador and was opened in 1928. We are surrounded by snow capped peaks and the Reserva Nacional de Gredos. We enjoyed our free welcome drink. 

Dinner was great as usual. A three course dinner is included in our price to seat here. 

This morning we had coffee at the same place as yesterday. My croissant and café au lait were great!

We packed up and walked to the rental car place. The agent who was the only person working there was very nice. She asked Duke if we had been to Spain before. He told her that we were here last year but we only saw some of the country and that we had such a wonderful time we decided to come back and see more. As we were leaving the woman told us to have a wonderful time. She said we should be sure to leave at least one thing unseen so we would have to come back again. 

And we got an upgraded car that had only been driven 300 miles!! It still smells new!

Getting out of Madrid was really easy. We headed west.

From miles away you can see a giant cross on top of a hill.  It is a part of a Valle de los Caídos a Catholic basilica and memorial conceived by Franco to honor those who died on his side in the Spanish Civil War. More than half a million people died in the Spanish Civil War but this memorial was only for the Nationalists.  Franco is buried in the basilica. The park is a beautiful woodland of over 3300 acres. Apparently the monument and basilica are still very controversial because they represent Franco and political prisoners were part of the workforce to build them. The monument was almost deserted. I imagine partly because of the weather but probably also because of the controversy.

The basilica is massive. It is built into the mountain. Unfortunately we couldn’t take any pictures inside.

After leaving Valle de los Caídos we headed up over the mountains to Segovia. 

We are staying at a parador with a stunning view of the cathedral, palace and the Roman aqueduct.

We have been looking forward to a routine after we arrive at a Parador and the end of a day of travel. As a member of the Amigos program (frequent stay program). We collect points for free stays and we always get a coupon for a free drink. 

Our dinner was great. A tiny cup of hot soup.

Appetizers

Main course.  Duke’s steak was flavorful. My baby squid on black rice was very tender and delicious. 

And desert…. Oh my!!! The green apple sorbet and goat cheese ice cream was devine. Who would have thought!  And the raspberries were great too!