LA PARRA
(province Badajoz)
To trhe East of Tierra de Barros, close to Zafra and by Almendralejo, LA PARRA is a peaceful village in Badajoz immersed in the aroma of the Portuguese Marches and holm oak clad hills.
Such is the calm that even the storks nesting in the convent have not woken to the fact that their home is now the hotel we are staying at.
"Alone at last", "A refuge for two to relax" or "Heaven on Earth" are some of the headings of the comments left in Trip Advisor.
And the stocks, perched on the belfry, seen to agree.
The calm that emanates from the pace makes it perhaps no trhe best option for coming with children, white the pool, among whitewashed beaches and walls, looks like a postcard from Essaouira, or the corner of a garden in Tunisia.
As a first class convent in Extremadura, the building boasts vaulted ceilings and a patio garden that is out of this world.
Rooms , largenough to make the enclosed life of the convent bearable, provider our living space.
The old convent walls keep the inside cool, and if you open the window when it's sunny, the warm air soon reminds you you're in the south.
As do the chattering sparrows in the patio and the clattering of the storks whose shadows are cast on the ground.