What is the setting of By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho?

The book starts in Madrid at a conference where Pilar's friend lectures about the feminine side of God. After Pilar meets up with her friend again, they agree to travel to Bilbao together, then they head further north to France to a town called Saint-Savin. After crossing the Pyrenees, the characters spend a few days learning about one another, and Pilar learns to appreciate her friend's beliefs. After the holidays are over, they go back to Spain and end up at the Piedra Monastery, where they spent time as children. There they are separated, then reunited after Pilar almost dies from the cold. The story takes place during the winter of 1993, and spans just a few days during the holiday of the Immaculate Conception.