Day 15: Segovia

Today was yet another day of adventure!!!

We got up and packed into the van for a day trip to Segovia. As you can see on the map, Segovia is just north of Madrid, it takes about an hour to get there. Pilar and Luis were excited to show me this city, as it has amazing Roman Ruins still there.

When we got to Segovia, we parked the car and set off on a walk through the city to Luis' favorite restaurant. The city itself was really cool, with lots of shops and people walking around on this beautiful Saturday afternoon. It rests on a hilltop and is FUN FACT #18: a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

FUN FACT #19: Segovia's local cuisine (and one of the many reasons we wanted to go) is suckling pig, or in spanish, cochinillo. But take that typical image of a huge pig with an apple in its mouth skewered over a campfire. This suckling pig is actually a piglet.

When we arrived at the restaurant, we were fortunate enough to get a table in the far back corner. (And I say fortunate because the kids can get a bit loud)  We sat and chatted while they brought out appetizers, most of which I had eaten before, except for one. When I asked Pilar and Luis what it was, they told me to try it first, and then they would tell me.

Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but I followed their instructions. It looked almost black with little pieces of rice stuck to it. It was actually very tasty! So when I finished, they told me what it was. Rice, soaked in pig's blood. Yup. I ate that.

The fam at the pig lunch!

Anyways, while we waited, I noticed this loud banging coming from somewhere in the restaurant. As we were in the back corner and this place was like a labyrinth, I couldn't see where it was coming from. When I asked, this was Luis' response.

"They are cutting the pig."

"But why is it this loud clanging??"

"Well, because the meat is so tender but the bone is so hard, they use a plate to cut it."

"A plate??"

"Yes, to break the bone of the pig and put the slices directly on the plate. Don't worry, you'll see it. They do it right in front of you when they bring our pig to the table."

And sure enough, that's exactly what happened. As strange as it was and how odd it was to sit there and watch them hammer the crap out of a baby pig and hand me a slice, the food itself was actually amazing!! When lunch ended, the waiter gave each of the kids a piggy bank. It was a really fun experience.

Cathedral at Segovia

After lunch, we went on a quick tour of the Segovia Cathedral.

FUN FACT #20: The Segovia Cathedral was the last Gothic Cathedral built in Spain.

As usual, the Cathedral was magnificent. In addition to the vaulted ceilings and beautiful frescos, this cathedral also had a room full of tapestries. The kids ran around the Cathedral until we decided it was time to go.

Luis took Marta, Jaime, and Paloma to go get ice cream and take a break while Pilar took Lucas and I to Alcazar. And no, its not the prison off the coast of California where Sean Connery was kept, not was it the prison which held the most dangerous witches and wizards of Harry Potter.

FUN FACT #21: The Alcazar of Segovia (literally translated as Segovia Castle) was originally built as a fortress, but over the years has served as a Royal Palace, a prison, and a military academy. Today, it is used as a military archives building and museum.

The castle was really fun to walk around in. For some reason, I am always most in awe my the ceilings in these kinds of places. Who thinks up these amazing
designs? If I lived there, I would lay on the floor all day and crab walk around the castle to see all the room's ceilings.

Alcazar of Segovia

View from the Alcazar

Anyways, the three of us explored the castle. Lucas' favorite room was the one with all of the knights' armor and the huge cannons and old swords. And truth be told, it was probably my favorite room too.

Lucas and Pilar on top of the Alcazar

At the end of the exploration, we climbed the 100 stair staircase to the castle ramparts. There, we had a great view of the city and the Segovia Cathedral.

View of the Cathedral of Segovia from the top of the Alcazar

When we finished touring the castle, we met up with Luis and the other three kids and walked down to see the Roman Aqueduct.

FUN FACT #22: The Roman Aqueduct is believed to have been ordered to be constructed by the Roman Emperor Domitian, ar
ound AD 81. Which makes this thing wicked freakin' old.

The Aque
duct transports water from the Fuente Fria River about 11 miles away from the city. At its tallest point, it is 93 feet tall. What is probably the most amazing thing about this thing is that is is built entirely WITHOUT MORTOR. Like, what? And it's still standing?? How does that even happen?? I'll tell you how... the aliens helped them.

We had fun running around the aqueduct and playing hide and go seek behind the pillars before it was time to go. We hopped back in the van and the kids fell asleep on our way home to Madrid.

The Roman Aqueduct