This is an interesting spot to stop, with the stunning cloisters of the Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos , and the gregorian chant sung in the church by the monks. I had some of their CDs, but wasn’t prepared for the glorious sound hearing them live. The chant reverberates around the church in such a light, easy, echo-y way, it’s unlike anything I’ve every heard before. Magical.

Just outside the town is the Desfiladero de la Yecla, a very cool walk through an incredibly deep gorge on a narrow concrete bridge-like path that doesn’t feel totally safe. At the top of the cliffs there are large holes in the rocks, and huge birds, vultures and the like, fly in and out of them. If you’re in Silos, it’s worth the short drive (less than 5 minutes) to visit.

We spent the night in the Hotel Santo Domingo de Silos which is a very nice place. Another good-looking place to stay is the Hotel Tres Coronas . There was a casa rural just next to our hotel, which is probably a very economical place to stay in, but I don’t have any information on it. In any case, the town seemed busy during the day, and very quiet at night when the day visitors left. Although we had a reservation, I don’t think we absolutely had to have one.