Segovia (2 nights)

Our train from Bilbao to Segovia was easy (once I got past the Renfe dilemma - see earlier transportation post). We took a cab from the station to the Hotel Don Felipe, which was one of our favorite hotels on this trip.

Segovia is a daytrip destination from Madrid, so after Basque country, the tour groups and crowds were a bit of a shock. Large tour groups were moving along the streets constantly. The nice thing about staying in Segovia is that many of the tourists clear out by about 5 and everything quiets down considerably.

We headed to Plaza Mayor for a quick tapas lunch, and chose poorly, going to Restaurante la Oja Blanca. I mean, it wasn’t awful, but…don’t go there.

We discovered a miniscule bar for evening drinks at Bar Rubi. This was the first - and I think only - place that offered the classic free tapa (ham or cheese on baguette slice) with your drink. The entire space was smaller than my living room. We were the only Americans in there. The TV was showing BBC concert footage, so we were treated to the weirdness of Arcade Fire before heading to La Almuzara - mostly vegetarian, and excellent - for dinner. (sorry, no link - no website, like many many eateries in Spain).

Photos: drinks and tapas at Bar Rubi; some regulars at Bar Rubi; table at La Almuzara; veggie lasagne; asparagus gratin; bill for 2 dinners and 3 glasses of wine

After a good breakfast, included in our room price, we planned to go to the Alcazar (castle), which dates to the 12th century (and was one of the inspirations for Cinderella’s castle), but there was a military ceremony that delayed opening until the afternoon. So we walked down to the aqueduct that cuts right through town and saw what had to be one of the most delightfully bizarre sights of the whole trip:

I was waiting for some creature to show up and eat the children, but this did not happen.

It was a very cold and windy day, so we headed back up the hill and took a tour of the bell tower of the cathedral, wandered around the cathedral itself, and then returned to La Almuzara for lunch. By then, the alcazar was open and we were able to walk through it and along the walls for fantastic views.

Photos - the aquaduct; cathedral; one of the bells in the belltower; interior of cathedral; Bob demonstrating scale of the pillars in the cathedral; the alcazar; view from windows in the castle; view of snowy mountains.

In the evening we headed back to Bar Rubi for drinks (Muse concert on the TV this time) and then walked through the Jewish Quarter to El Fugon Sefardi for dinner. We weren’t very hungry, so got an order of berejengas (fried eggplant with honey) and another eggplant dish layered with curried lamb stew. So good.

And on to Toledo…