Walking back from the Castle - Segovia

Lots of stork nests

Segovia

Aqueduct in Segovia

Devil guy

This diablo wields a broom and isn't afraid to use it!

Hello Segovia

Our last full day in Spain, we arrive in Segovia. Like Salamanca, our hotel is situated on the Plaza Mayor. Unlike Salamanca, this hotel (Hotel Infanta Isabel) is very nice. Driving into the city is, in a word, chaotic. Everything is moving quickly and the narrow roads with hard to read street names are confusing. With badly spoken Spanish, we ask for directions, and as we say in the computer world: garbage in, garbage out - we got bad directions as we were parked very far from the Plaza Mayor. We were in a rush because we were meeting Toms old childhood neighbor who was coincidentally in Spain at the same time. Bob took at tumble which reminded me of a stuntman the way he jumped right back up and continued walking.

Segovia is full of music today. I asked at reception if today was a special day and as far as I could understand, for 3-4 days after summer solstice there is a music festival. As we walked to the Plaza, we met up with street musicians who were dancing and playing instruments. This continued from noon until around 1pm. We sat out at the tables in front of our hotel and were treated with several more parading street performers in funny costumes (I'll post some pictures and a link to a YouTube video - wifi permitting).

The boys are done. They made a begrudged trip down to the aqueduct after which we fed them with more pizza and ice cream. While Tom and I explored the city, the boys stayed sequestered in their room watching Spanish cartoons and napping.

The parades start again at 8pm, we have reserved a table in the Plaza and I hope to extract the boys from their rooms. Although we have probably better views from our rooms.

I'll post more pix en un momento.

Astronaut

Who can tell me where this is?

Walking in Salamanca

Heading back to the Plaza Mayor.

Salamanca - watching futbol in the plaza

The place is packed! TVs everywhere in this beautiful plaza.

Snow White in Plaza Mayor - Salamanca

Um - yah

Hold me, I'm scared (welcome to Salamanca)

Um. Toto, we are not in Galicia nor Austurias anymore. What a crazy city! Impossible to find the hotel without getting out on foot. Then needed to get someone from the hotel to lead our car thru a pedestrian area to the secret garage entrance (where we had a near miss with a scooter). Then down an impossibly narrow pathway down down down. Then the hotel guy offered to park in a narrow corner much smaller than our car using a 400 point turn to park the vehicle. Up up up the stairs we went with all our luggage. Felt like I was on the amazing race - missing the Camino.

Here we take the daring diversion from 4 star hotels. We are in a 3 room "apartment" that is reached only by a scary labyrinth and feels sub-terrain. It is hot here. Sweat rolls off my face as I type this. No AC. We have to sleep with the windows open... But tonight is the summer solstice and it may get loud - we are right on the Plaza Mayor where a sound system is being erected. Already there are large groups of people in the streets. A rowdy bachelor party passes - everyone in matching pink shirts. I can tell you one thing for sure - I'm not hanging out in this pit of an apartment more than I have to! Watch out Salmanca, I'm about to join you.

A picnic with a view

This is a view from where we picnicked today (Puebla de la Sanabria) enroute to Salamanca.

Puebla de Sanabria

Before we left Compostela, I picked up some food for a roadside picnic (apples, bread, tuna empanadas, ham & cheese empanadas, chips, sprite, twix). Who knew we would find such a picturesque place to have lunch?! According to the map, this Puebla is situated in Spain near the northeast corner of Portugal. It is also on one of the veins of the Camino. The next picture is a view from the castle located here, and a view from where we picnicked.