Segovia

It was another lovely weekend here in Madrid. It began with us completing the final language class of our program. Our emotions were mixed as we left feeling both inspired to continue our Spanish language acquisition, and frustrated about how much more we need to learn. It felt at times that the more we learned and refreshed our memories during our two-week class, the more distant basic fluency seemed. So, we’ll keep on practicing.

When Friday evening rolled around, we decided to branch out a little and try some tapas bars in unexplored territories. We found two great ones in the Santa Ana Plaza, which is a trendy part of Madrid that has more bars than any other part. We learned quickly our first week in Madrid that you pay much less for drinks and tapas if you take them inside the establishment, rather than outside on the patio. So we sat inside on dusty old mahogany stools and munched on bits of Spanish tortilla while puffs of cigarette smoke circled around our heads. It was great.

The next day brought us to our second excursion from Madrid. This time we headed to Segovia via a one-hour bus ride. The trip to Segovia was fascinating, as we witnessed the furthest reaches of Madrid and then glimpsed portions of the surrounding foothills. Many of the hillsides and suburbs reminded me of driving the 14 freeway at home near Acton. The small brown and green foothills had homes dotting throughout with numerous shrubs and smalls trees covering the land. The most ominous looking portion of the trip was viewing the giant cross sitting atop the Valley of the Fallen. Although it appeared serene and reverent from the freeway, the giant cross and underground monument are actually a symbol of Francisco Franco’s terrible rule here for most of the 20th century. It is a place we will likely tour in the future.

Segovia has a wonderful medieval and Roman feel to it. Similar to Toledo, the historic portion of the city lies atop an elevated hill. The 2000-year-old Roman aqueduct that jutted into the city impressed Trisha and me when we first arrived. After a few photos and a read in the Rick Steve’s book on the aqueduct, we moseyed through some of the streets surrounding the city. Our day to visit was a lucky one as the locals were recreating Roman times in this section of the city. I’m not sure if this is a daily or weekly occurrence in Segovia, but even the Spanish tourists loved it. The re-creation we saw was gladiators hitting each other with sticks that looked like knives, and local craftsmen making tools and clothes. Cool.

We spent the next few hours getting lost in the winding streets and checking out the local shops. Eventually we stopped at a restaurant for the Menu of the Day, which is actually a good deal since you pay one price and get a three course meal and drinks (Trisha: Castillian soup, chicken and fries, watermelon, wine-Travis: Paella, fish and fries, watermelon, cerveza). To be honest, we did the Menu of the Day last week in Toledo and it was exactly the same meal. At least it was cheap.

Before we headed home, we did take time to view Segovia’s Catedral de Nuestra Senora del la Asuncion y de San Frutos and the historic Alcazar castle. We decided not to go inside either as they charged a fair price and are not considered the crème de la crème of cathedrals and castles in Spain. We’ll save our money for Granda and the Alhambra.

Our return trip to Madrid found us tired but satisfied with our adventure. As we made our way up the hill from the bus station to the Royal Palace and then on to our apartment, we had that warm feeling that was more than just our perspiring bodies. Madrid has grown on us enough during the past two weeks to where coming back from an excursion is almost like coming home. Our apartment even has that cozy feel to it. It almost makes beginning a new week feel routine, although everyday brings new sites and things to do. Like tomorrow for example, our first day of work. -Travis