Magical Segovia

We headed out to Alcazar, the palace at the north end of town. It dates from 1122 as a Roman fortification, then a retreat for royalty. Isabel met Fernando here and this is where they pledged their support of Christopher Columbus. It's also been a prison. It's at the top of a high cliff. The whole thing burned down in
the 1862 so this is a reconstruction. It's the castle that was the inspiration for the castle in Disneyland.

We asked a couple women to take our photo and one of them had just graduated from Smith. They were one of the few Americans we heard in the crowd. They were very surprised to meet someone from Hatfield! Lots and lots of bus tours passing through in groups.

Went back to our hotel and had our own tapas and wine on the balcony. Headed out for dinner at 8:30 and, once again were the first couple in the restaurant. This time we were seeking cochinillo, roast suckling pig that this area is famous for. We checked out several menus along the plaza and picked a moderately priced place for their Menu Touristic which included cochinillo. The place was like a cross between Blue Bonnet and the old Smithsonian in Hatfield. It had a juke box (pix). Not your finest dining but the piglet (pix) was tasty.

The weather turned sunny during the afternoon and we sat in the plaza along with all of the other locals. We admired the color of the sun setting on the sandstone. Sunset from our balcony was beautiful, too.

Morning is here - cool and light clouds. Doesn't look like rain. We've been watching white storks fly by. We've seen several on their nests. This morning we are off to the Roman Aqueduct which was started 1 BC. Then the cathedral. Everywhere we walk the streets are cobblestone, not just here but in all if the towns. (pix).

We went to the Roman Aqueduct ( pix) begun in 50 BC, then to the great Cathedral with one large, huge center nave, two large side naves and something like 15 individual side chapels. We went for coffee and Poncho, a custard layer cake covered with a thin delicate layer of lemon marzipan. It was the last item on my 'local food we should taste' list. I wish we could bring some home; it was so delicate! After walking around town a little more, and dodging a few threatening raindrops, we decided to head back toward Madrid and our short stay at Hostal Pueracuelles de Jamara.

It's inexpensive (46€) and just right for a 4 am departure in the morning. Free wifi, a cafeteria, and a comfy bed... That's all we need. Very small room (pix).

We are pooped. The trip has been wonderful, but living out of suitcases and trying to figure out all of the cultural differences (meals, traffic, etc) has reached the point of "we are tired, let's go home."

A final shot of Madrid (pix) which we have no desire to see again.