Leaving Madrid in a rented car, we go up to Segovia. The Roman Aqueduct is in excellent condition, the Cathedral is very pretty with high ceilings and many stained glass windows, the Alcazar is like a fairy tale castle with beautiful tile and an interesting museum.
On to Avila for our first stay in a parador; it is just inside the city wall, and there is access so we can walk up on the ramparts. We have a lovely big room and bath, overlooking the garden. In the dining room we eat a very good dinner, and are grateful we don’t have to go out in the cold and rain.
The walls that surround Avila are almost completely intact and are in the best condition of any in Spain. Those, and the chapel of Santa Teresa are the main tourist attractions. We also happen upon a very pretty door knocker in the village.
The Spanish paradors were developed to aid tourism at sites without adequate housing for tourists. Some are remodeled historic buildings, like Avila and the San Francisco monastery on the grounds of the Alhambra at Granada. Others are new buildings, like the ones at Toledo and Cordoba. At the time we were there, they were very reasonably priced and gave good value for one’s money. All had excellent dining rooms.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment