Day 5: Avila and Segovia and the Terrible Day

Almost every vacation (that we take at least) has one day that's just a disaster, and this time around it was the day we went to Avila and Segovia. We were supposed to get up at seven and make one long day of it, but unfortunately the maids closet or prep room or something was above our hotel room, so as they cleaned up from Christmas we heard dragging carts, clans, thumps, and footsteps all night long...well until eventually we yelled at enough people at about 4:30 am and it mysteriously stopped. So, we ended up getting up at 11 am instead and blitzed through the two towns. I didn't get to go inside the alcazar or wall the walls, so I'll just have to go back. 

The first town we visited was Segovia, which is most famous for its Roman aqueduct. The aqueduct was probably built in the first century AD and is one of the best preserved in the world...pictures can't do its size justice. At its highest point it is 93 feet fall and provided water to the city until the mid 1800s.




Segovia was also full of beautiful architectural details everywhere you looked.



Another famous site is Segovia's cathedral, the last Gothic-style cathedral built in Europe. Its spires were stunning.


And finally, the last landmark we ran past before leaving the city...the alcazar, which started as a Roman fort and now looks like something straight out of a fairy tale. The best view is apparently from the park below, but with no time we decided to head to Avila. 



Avila is about an hour away from Segovia by car, and its most famous feature is its fortified walls, built between the 11th and 14th centuries and the most complete fortified walls remaining in Spain. Saint Teresa was born in Avila...hence the statue below. Unfortunately, the walls were closed when we arrived, so we didn't get to walk around the city for the best views from the fortifications. 





Since everything was closing, we gave up on the day...and then ended up in a three-hour traffic jam back to Madrid (for what should have been an hour drive). It was just that kind of day. It did end with some whimsy, however, when we stumbled across a carnival-themed hotel with a carousel bar and a curious plaster giraffe. 




We ended our last night in Madrid with a feta and tomato salad, duck ham, and Cabrales cheese (the best blue cheese...so pungent and funky and delicious...from the Asturias region). There was also live music, consisting of a violinist and also an American playing the accordion. Which by itself is not noteworthy, but his gold brocade waistcoat and handlebar mustache that he carefully combed up into his sideburns made him particularly delightful (no picture, since it seemed rude...but he really did look a lot like Zoltar the fortune teller). 


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