We haven't even been home from Spain for a month, and already it feels so far away! Boo. I'm hoping that resuming the travelogue will help me better remember and cherish this special time together as a family.
So on our third day in Madrid, we took a day trip to Segovia. I accidentally missed the exit, but it was pretty fortuitous because this back entrance into the city was so scenic.
Speaking of driving, my experience navigating the roads in Spain was actually great. I was really nervous about being added to the rental car agreement, but knew that we needed an extra driver since Jason would be working a lot at night and very tired. In general, I found the Spanish highways to be so much more civilized than our U.S. interstates--you just have to like roundabouts. People drove slower and were more patient. Frankly, driving in Salt Lake can be savage.
Back to Spain, I pulled over to switch drivers with Jason in Segovia and discovered that I'd pulled into free parking right at the base of the castle. Perfect!
From there it was a lovely scenic walk through the woods to get to the old town.
They're all my favorite.
Annika found an abandoned bird's nest. Positively germ-free, I'm sure.
Love this beautiful Hermana ever so much.
Four years of high school Latin and I could finally read a sign! Water is the stuff of life.
We began our trip into the city by walking through the Jewish quarter.
Sure love this gorgeous gal as well! I think she was pretty excited to be sharing this special place with us.
As we drew close to one of the plazas, we discovered an entire crowd of people gathered to watch a puppet show. Naturally we joined in!
In case you are wondering, this dragon not only breathes fire, but can tinkle as well.
The decorations on the exterior buildings were stunning.
This fun park was regrettably also the place where Brooklyn lost her Owala. Ah well, if I had to be a water bottle, I wouldn't mind living out the rest of my life in Segovia.
The famous aqueduct! I knew this remarkable feature was coming, but it was even more amazing in person. And to think, this aqueduct was constructed by the Romans nearly 2000 years ago and is still standing!
As for Annika, she seemed just as intrigued by this statue along the way.
Absolutely remarkable. Good thing Spain doesn't have many earthquakes!
More street performances.
Okay, this performance was one of a kind. Hundreds of people gathered to watch this man perform acrobatics on a moving excavator as opera played on loudspeakers throughout the town square. Performance art at its best!
Abierto 25 Horas--Wish I had 25 hours in my day too!
Earlier that morning we'd bought tickets to go through the alcázar, or castle. Our timed entry let us waltz right into this fairy tale without a glitch.
Turns out knights were shorter then. We would have fit right in!
It is believed that Columbus would have approached King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella at this very spot.
You can't really tell from this photo, but the people in the painted mural at the end of this room have pretty creepy black eyes.
Peeking through the crenellations. If you can, zoom in and see how Jason and Eli are postured identically.
Scenic overlook.
Cute Talia with a cute backpack that we picked up at Decathlon.
Handsome hubby.
Happy family.
But hey, know how to make a happy family even happier? Add sugar! Brooklyn suggested we try this amazing bakery called Limon y Menta. While there, we had to try Ponche, the local specialty. Here's how AI described it: "The
Ponche Segoviano is the most famous pastry from Segovia, Spain. It is a moist, lemon-infused sponge cake layered with sweet egg yolk custard or pastry cream, wrapped in marzipan, and topped with a distinctive criss-cross pattern of caramelized sugar." Um, yeah. If I could teleport, I'd go purchase another one this instant.
The little charcuterie board we purchased from the Flying Tiger was super helpful in splitting our treat into pieces. Amazingly, we were able to get it home through airport security mostly in tact! (They kept one of the knives but let the rest through.)
We took a different path on our way out of town and discovered these delightful wildflowers. Whether you are a daisy or a poppy, you are beautiful!
Thank you, Segovia, for sharing both your remarkable past and vibrant present. I hope we'll be back in the future! In fact, while walking near the aqueduct, Annika asked me, is this a place I can only go once in my life? No, sweet girl, the future is yours for the taking.
And just because the best part of family is silliness, here's Eli being tortured by his sisters. The crazy thing is that he's so good-natured that he lets them do it!
Oooh, I adore this family!
Ávila is known for its fantastic city wall that encircles the town.
Here we are searching for the entrance to climb the wall from the top. Little did we know it would be through an old butcher shop!
We didn't visit the butcher, but we did visit a very friendly baker to snag some dinner pastries.
A little dry, but I pretty much adore anything I didn't have to make.
If we'd had more time, it would have been fun to peek inside the cathedral.
Peace out for another great day in Spain!
