Hotel Infanta Isabel Segovia Spain.

I shall now begin a third Spanish itinerary, starting in Madrid and moving over the southwest quadrant of the country. Segovia is a good starting point, the city is of great inherent interest and it's less than two hours from the capital. There is a parador in town, but it's a newbuild of no particular interest and it's in an outlying part of town and if one wants to walk to the center it's not only a long hike but one has to traverse a rather dubious neighborhood. The Infanta Isabel on the other hand has an unbeatable location, right on the Plaza Mayor, opposite the cathedral. It's a three star, with all the implications thereof. The public rooms are fairly grand, the rooms themselves spacious with old fashioned but decent furnishings. Some of them are a bit quirky, we had a water pipe running from floor to ceiling in the middle of ours. The bathrooms are also old fashioned but entirely adequate. You should be able to Priceline a room for around seventy dollars for the night. The Infanta Isabel is clearly not a destination per se, but rather an acceptable place to stay if you want to visit Segovia. A small caveat: The whole of the inner city is closed off to traffic, from whatever direction one arrives there will suddenly be a barrier. You have to drive right up to it and , push a button which will then connect you by phone to a central hotel bureau and state you have a reservation at the Infanta Isabel, at which point the barrier will rise. There is of course no parking on the main square, you have to avail yourserlf of the valet parking, about twelve dollars. There are innumerable restaurants nearby, I would advise choosing one of the several rotisserias that serve the marvelous roast lamb that the region is famous for. The cathedral is late Gothic and very imposing, the Alcazar is worth a visit, it having been restored and furnished with authentic sixteenth century pieces, but the jewel in the crown is the Roman aquaduct. This was constructed in the reign of Trajan in the first century to bring water to the town from a nearby river. It has double arches, is about a thousand yards long and is perfectly preserved. There is nothing quite like it in the whole world.