Soggy in Segovia

This hotel also provided a fantastic European breakfast, although one thing we noticed was that the bacon was almost raw. Well fed (minus the bacon), we were ready to explore. We dressed in multiple layers and rain jackets and headed out. The rain from last night had turned to a heavy wet snow and the temperature reading was 1.5 degrees (very accurate!). Many businesses were closed because it was a National holiday. We walked through the town to one of the main attractions, the 9 mile Aquaduct, which was built by the Romans 2,000 years ago. The exposed section we saw was 2,500 feet long, 100 feet high, with 118 arches, made from 20,000 granite blocks without any mortar, and can still carry a stream of water to a subterranean channel that runs through the city. Pretty impressive.

We stopped at a small market and picked up a fresh baguette, cheese and tomato for lunch because I just wanted to return to our warm hotel room and not have to sit in a restaurant with wet hair and clothes. Later in the evening we wandered out again to a nearby pizza restaurant. When I asked how big the pizzas were, the server told me “small....good for one”. So we each ordered one. Surprise! They were actually the size of our typical large pizza. I once again felt like I was taken advantage of because I was a tourist. Most of my leftovers ended up in the garbage. Although the restaurant was empty at 8:30 when we arrived, by the time we left it was full. The Spanish people eat supper between 9 and 10 pm and I observed that they usually order 3 courses plus coffee. Seems like a recipe for gastric reflux when they go to bed a couple of hours later! It’s a good thing we are used to eating later than normal at home.

The falling snow and the medieval buildings looked so pretty at night.Read more