Monasterio de Piedra – Zaragoza, Spain

After a long flight from LAX to Madrid, we hopped in our trusty rental Citroen and set out on the open highway to an ancient monastery about 2 hours away. Founded in 1194 and now a national monument, Monasterio de Piedra seemed like a quirky way to settle into a new country – sleeping in rooms occupied by Cistercian monks for hundreds of years.