title: A Room with a Pew: Sleeping Our Way Through Spain's Ancient Monasteries
author:  Richard Starks 
description: A captivating tour of these edifices of spirituality, piety and community." - ForeWord<br /><br />"Travel books can get repetitive or dull. Not this one. Even the 'how to' pages are as enticing as they are informative." - CityBookReview<br /><br />"Great fun to read - unreligious, but not sacreligious... an entertaining book." - A Traveler's Library <br /><br />"If you have any inclination to try an offbeat way of seeing Spain, this book would give you some options. The authors do a good job of giving step-by-step advice about how to approach such a trip." - Book Pleasures
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  [Contents](0743471571_toc.htm)
  
  # Chapter Two  
  THE FOOL  
  
  ### **I**
  
  Unmarried Priests, above a certain rank, were housed in two dormitories.
  Rajasta and Micon, with several others of their high station, dwelt in the
  smaller and more comfortable of these. Riveda might have lived there as
  wellbut, of his own free will, from humility or some inversion of pride, the
  Adept had chosen to remain among the Priests of lesser accomplishment.
  
  Rajasta found him writing, in a room which doubled as sleeping-room and study,
  opening on a small, enclosed courtyard. The main room was sparsely furnished,
  with no hint of luxury; the court was laid simply with brick, without pools or
  flowers or fountain. A pair of smaller rooms to one side housed the Grey-
  robe's attendants.
  
  The day was warm; throughout the dormitory most of the doors were wide open,
  to allow some circulation of the deadening air. So it was that Rajasta stood,
  unnoticed, gazin