Paradore is the name given to a chain of unusual hotels, all run by the Spanish Government and each night for the forthcoming week we are booked into one. Paradores are unusual because they tend to be sited in historic buildings like monasteries or castles, or they are situated in a special setting (like this one). The Parador de Cervera de Pisuerga, as it is known, is our first stopover, and it is located in the beautiful Fuentes Carrionas Nature Reserve, a natural area of unique splendor in northern Palencia Province. The park is the habitual refuge of the brown bear. Many walkers use the Paradore as a base and, in fact, the day before we arrived, some of those walkers were pursued by a 30 stone Grizzly bear and then eaten by it after one of then unwisely tried to take one of the bear's cubs for a pet, which they decided to call Rupert (just kidding). As you can see there is a wonderful vista from the hotel, unfortunately our room was the far side of the building, overlooking the car park.