The Candel Concerts (Noche de las Velas)  is a sublime experience that cannot be missed if you happen to be in Madrid in July.  On the first two Saturdays of July no electric lights are allowed in the town and more than 35.000 candles illuminate the streets.  Evening classical-music concerts take place in privileged settings as the castle courtyard and the Plaza Mayor.

On June 29, 2012 Mrs. Juana Maria Perez Bonin proceeded to lit the first candle of the Candel Concerts event at the Centro Cultural Santo Domingo de Pedraza.

A typical courtyard lit by candles  B.Boris

PEDRAZA is a charming walled medieval villa in the province of Segovia, half an hour away from Madrid, 126km.  The first thing we see when approaching the village is its castle and the large park next to it, where visitors are asked to park in order to limit traffic in the cobbled streets of the village.  The main square of Pedraza is known as the most beautiful squares in Castilla y Leon.  I strongly recommend staying overnight to enjoy the tranquility of the night and walk around before dinner.  Pedraza is also known for its famous roast lamb in wood oven, but there are also other gastronomic options as we found in “La Taberna de Antioquia”, La Florida, 3,    We stayed at a small and charming “posada”, “La Posada de Don Mariano”, Calle Mayor, 14.  Rooms were comfortable and well decorated, breakfast was not included.  Other accommodation option is HOSPEDERIA SANTO DOMINGO, a three-century-old noble house, recently rehabilitated located a few metres from the Door of the Village of Pedraza within the old Jewish Quarter.

Next morning we went walking along the cobbled streets to the Calle Real to buy some delicatessen at “El Horno Artesano de Pan”,  c/ Real, 9 and after a wonderful breakfast we spent the morning visiting the many decorating stores famous for its local artwork and traditional tin objects.

Medieval gate into Pedraza  Image by Windwhistler