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The Parador of Jarandilla De La Vera is a place distinct in the history of Spain. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V - the most powerful man in the world during his reign - lived here in the Parador building for a few months before retiring to live out his remaining time in the Monastery at Yuste.

He chose this spot for it’s tranquility and natural beauty. The area, on the southern slope of the Gredos mountains, is abundant with streams, waterfalls, and oak woods - producing a scenery of rare beauty. The soil is rich and fertile. There are gardens, apple and pear orchards everywhere. It has been called a paradise, and “The best place for repose, and for the pleasures of mind and body.”

The 4-star Parador of Jarandilla de la Vera is a fortified palace built in the 15th century. It was constructed over the ruins of a fortress that had been built and inhabited by the Knights Templar. It has all that a castle should have; a draw-bridge, machicolations, embrasures, and robust corner towers. Parador Jarandilla is in an Italian Renaissance style however, with an interior sweetness and graciousness missing in the earlier true fortress style castles.

There is a fine dining room with views out to the open cloister (you can dine al fresco during the warmer months). Wooden ceilings and a baronial fireplace in the reception area give this place an altogether ‘noble’ feel.

Interesting excursions from Parador Jarandilla into the city:

- See the 15th century Church on the main plaza.

- The area immediately surrounding the town is very good for hiking - several different marked trails lead along rushing streams to waterfalls and miniature gorges.

Interesting day trips include:

- Explore over to the Jerte valley - there are a couple of scenic (if not harrowing!) roads that cross over, or you can drive around through Placensia. If you are here in spring, the valley is blanketed in white - with thousands of cherry trees in bloom.

- Placensia is a typical Extremaduran town with a wonderful main plaza. Sit down at one of the many outdoor tables and wait and watch the giant elf (?) in the main clock tower strike the bell to mark each half hour. A “cuckoo clock” on the grandest of scales! There is a lively Tuesday market held here in the plaza - as it has been continuously since the 12th century!

Visiting the Parador of Jarandilla De La Vera is an experience long cherished by those who have gone out of their way to get to this nearly forgotten backwater of Spain.

SpainParador.com makes it easy for you to plan and arrange your next trip to Spain. This time stay in palaces, castles, and other places of great historical interest and rare beauty - the wonderful Paradors of Spain. www.SpainParador.com

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Mexico… The place to party. It’s the perfect destination to relax on the beach, barter with locals, drink tequila, and get a tan. For the most part, Mexico is considered a fairly safe place to visit if you will be in the safety of an all inclusive resort. This was the attitude of Pamela Woods, just 3 months ago, on her trip to Mexico which was drastically different than she expected.

I dont want to be costing the resort all kinds of money and give them a bad reputation, so I will keep the name of the resort confidential. But what I will tell you is the story of Pamela Woods.

Pam is a family girl, as she is married to a nice doctor, and has 2 wonderful daughters. Her life went in a spin 3 months ago, during her visit to an all inclusive resort in mexico. One of her daughers, and her husband, drove down from canada, to meet the other daughter and herself at the resort. All was well when the family was together again, but the second evening of mexico wasn’t so spectacular.

Pamela Woods, mother of 2, was beaten and raped on the shores of the resort, by a local mexican around 7:30pm. She left her sandals at the beach that afternoon, and remembered to go and get them after dinner. When she didn’t come back to the room, the kids and husband began to panic.

The threesome set out in search for her, and found her lying on the beach, bloody, bruised, and naked. This was a devistating trip for the Woods family.

This story is not supposed to be a scary or disgusting, it is intended to inform you tourists of the threats that are there, even in a 5 star resort. I’m not saying “Stay away from mexico”, because it can be a fun time just take into consideration that the worst CAN happen, and it did to Pam Woods. Travel together, and never go out alone.

Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the article, this caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.

Tyler Brooker is the owner and operator of My Mexico Travel Guide - http://www.mymexicotravelguide.com, which is the best site on the internet for all mexico related information.

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The Parador of Santo Estevo is located in the province of Galicia not far north of the Portuguese border, in Nogueira de Ramu

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