Our Anniversary Getaway to the Sigüenza Parador

Our 45th Wedding Anniversary was August 29, 2012, so the weekend before that, we decided to leave Madrid and go stay in a Spanish parador. A parador is a luxury hotel, located in a historic building such as a monastery, palace, fortress, convent, or castle. One of the top-rated paradores of Spain is the Castillo de Sigüenza, located about 100 miles east of Madrid. We took the train on an early morning and returned to Madrid the next day.

The Castillo (castle) de Sigüenza was originally built in the 5th century AD by the Moors (Muslims) but changed hands several times. It was ruled by Celtíberos, Romans and Visigoths and converted first into an Arabic citadel and then into a bishop´s palace. Today, it is a four-star hotel:

The sign at the entrance, with the Spanish Parador slogan, "Quality, Friendliness, and Legend":

Scott and Beverly at the vehicle entrance to the parador, just after arriving at the Castillo de Sigüenza:

  

The front of the castle (the archway at the bottom is the main entrance to the Parador):

The castle sits high on a hill above the Henares river and the city of Sigüenza below. The old city lies on the other side of this hill; this side of the castle is mostly barren:

The main courtyard of the castle/parador:

Moon over Sigüenza and a view of our balcony from the courtyard:

Scott and Beverly sitting on our balcony above the courtyard:

Our charming room (not a luxury room, but certainly nice for a room in a medieval castle. The ancient kings who lived in the castle never had it so good):

This is a wall hanging in our room, the first time we have ever seen a picture of Madonna and Child in a hotel room! But then, this castle served as a Catholic bishop's palace:

Stairwell from our room area down to meeting rooms and the main lobby:

The Plaza Mayor with the Cathedral of Sigüenza in the background:

The corner of Calle de San Juan (left) and Calle Travesaña Alta (the most ancient street in the city, dating back to the early 1100's), with the Puerta del Hierro (a medieval gate) in the far background:

A path where we enjoyed an evening walk around the hill below the castle (in the background):

After two wonderful days of visiting Sigüenza, we bade farewell to the castle on the hill above the city. This is a view of the castle and the newer part of the city from the train:

It was an anniversary getaway that we will never forget!