Tour of Spain 2011 - day 1/2 - In Segovia

There's something you'll have to bear in mind at this stage.  It's still day 7 as I type and I'm not sure how much wifi I'm going to get over the next few days so I will cram stuff in and maybe forget pics (for now).


Anyway, there we were all set up to explore Segovia in the late afternoon.  SO we had a reccy around the town - it only takes about 15 minutes to walk from one end of the old town to the other but there are plenty of cafes, etc. to suss out for food later on.  Also, we were a bit peckish (well AJ was) so we stopped at a bar for a bocadillo and a drink.  Nice tortilla bocadillo...  Then we decided on a restaurant for later -  Asi nos ponen de huevos las gallinas.


This restaurant had different interesting menu del dias and didn't go for the traditional Cochinilla Asado. This is slow roasted suckling pig which doesn't appeal at all. It's a signature dish of the region but is that really an excuse for it appearing everywhere? Imagine finding jellied eels in most of the restaurants in London... So, we went over to the restaurant in the evening. It was very quiet but that didn't put us off - actually the place was in two halves - a cafe and a restaurant. The cafe was busy with locals... Anyway, on the table was a menu de degustacion - a tasting menu. It had 3 different first courses, 3 different seconds and a sweet. Just as we were deciding whether to go for that and what to choose the owner came over and explained - actually you get everything on the menu... Excellent!, off we go then. So we had everything and everything was good - even the lasagna with the "secret" filling. It tasted good and I didn't try to work it out... I'd recommend the place on tripadvisor but I can't find it... Here endeth day 1.

Day 2 started and, rather than try and find somewhere for brekkie, we decided to eat from the hotel buffet. It tends to be an expensive option but at least you know what you're getting - or so we thought. As it turned out the hot element of the breakfast had pretty much run out (with an hour until the end of the session). This was a very bad start as, for me, a breakfast buffet is incomplete without bacon... I had some cereal and decided to wait things out. I noted a Spanish chap doing the same... After a while the Spanish dude talked to a "waitress" and I suspect the news wasn't good because he went and got himself some ham. His daughter and wife carried on regardless (the wife wearing sunglasses throughout - a heavy night before maybe?). He wasn't happy and neither was I. I had some cake instead. Then I had more cake... Spanish dude finished breakfast and went out to complain. A few mins later the bacon (well some) appeared. By this time I'm really done with breakfast but I was determined to get some bacon anyway (after all I'd paid a FORTUNE for this - well over a tenner). Bacon toast then got consumed (now really full) and a complaint to reception was avoided.

The rest of the day was sight-seeing. The cathedral (free on Sunday) was quite interesting but, as I was to find out later in the week, once you've seen one Spanish baroque cathedral you've pretty much seen them all. Much intricately carved stone on the outside, much intricately carved, gilded and painted woodwork on the inside. A huge organ (oo, er, missus) and choir set up in the middle. All generally designed to scare the crap out of a self-respecting C16th peasant.

Segovia Cathedral

Good example of gilded carved stuff

We had a break for coffee and enjoyed the spectacle of the traditional Sunday Segovian pet-walking...

Sunday pig walking

In the afternoon we went around the Alcazar.  I have to say that the Spanish do good Alcazars (even if they were generally started off by the moors - desculpe).  This one was very ornate here and there and quite impressive generally - you can see why the royals liked it.



Alcazar Room of the Kings

  There was also a tower (extra charge - really pushing the boat out here) but this is where we nearly came a cropper (well one of us did).  The problem with these old places is spiral staircases - some things that AJ is really averse to are me (sometimes), spiders, heights, and spiral staircases.  Clearly the heights and spiralness are linked - it's not the going up that's the problem, it's the going down.   The place said 152 steps so I wasn't counting (OCD usually overtakes me in such a situation) but the staircase seemed unrelenting.  We then got to a point where AJ's bottle finally ran out.  "No more" she said. "Do you want me to come down with you?" I said. "Yes please". At this point an English voice (Rule Britannia!) says "Keep going, you've only got about 10 steps to go"  That’s the other problem with spiral staircases - you've no idea how near the top (or bottom) you are...  So we carried on and got to the top - thanks to the lady of the steps...  Quite a nice view but I wouldn't bother with it next time.

The view from the tower

We wandered around the rest of the town, had another bite to eat, wandered the length of the aqueduct (not that interesting) then thought about evening meal. Nothing much to report there I'm afraid...  And that was day 2.

Aqueduct from the inside...

Spanish tour 2011 - day 1 - to Segovia

Actually, it's day 7 already but everything has to start somewhere and this started with a 5:45 alarm bleep followed by a shower, brekkie and a short trip to LPL JLA arriving about 7:20.  Everything very smooth - the flight isn't full and arrives in Madrid early.  No huge queues at passport control and our bags are almost first off at the carousel.  Even when we get to the car hire place there isn't really a queue.  Something has to give...

So, the girl at the car hire desk offers me a choice of cars.  This is pretty unusual.  Usually they just look at you and try and work out what they can foist on you - and bear in mind that they aren't going to get this car back because I'm leaving it a long way away in Malaga...  So, they really could have tried anything... But maybe they recognised that I don't take rubbish or maybe they just had loads of cars free - figure...  The net result was that my booking was for "Seat Ibiza equivolent" and the girl asked me whether I would take a Nissan Micra or an Audi A1.  Now I have to say that my first thought was "I've got 2 cases and both cars sound a bit small so I just checked that those vehicles equated to a Seat Ibiza (which sounds bigger).  Unsurprisingly the girl said that they did.  After that there really was no contest.  I mean,come on, would you choose a sad little Japanese model over a brand new entry level Audi?  The choice between on of these

and this

Sorry little A1, I seem to have squashed you a bit...

To be fair to Nissan, the Micra in the pic isn't a current model and the A1 pic is of the actual car we were given, but even so, it's pretty much a no-brainer.  So, it was "an A1 please" from me.  Paperwork got signed, credit card swiped and off we went to the car.  Now to check for extra dings and scratches (don't get caught out folks) and I found one.  Nothing major but I thought I'd get it checked.  I went to find someone to do it but there was one bloke who was dead busy so I thought "no big deal" and went back to the car.  Time to go.  Turn the ignition key.  Dashboard lights up OK but nothing happens engine-wise.  Hmm.  Obvious solution - turn the key again... Still nothing.  Time to look around the dashboard for something to push - these new fangled cars like starter buttons don't they? Very retro.  Nothing.  There's some Spanish on the dashboard read-out but I don't know enough to work it out.  So now I HAVE to find someone.  As it turns out a young lady is available and she comes to help out.  First the scratch - too small to bother with she says.  Then starting the car - you have to press the clutch pedal she says...  Oh, Right, Bingo, off we go.

The car is only a 1.2 and we will be doing something in the region of 1000 miles in it...  I get a "you will always go for the cheap option" from AJ but actually the car has a little secret - as well as being fuel injected it is also a turbo so it actually goes pretty well.  Speed is limited to about 70 on the Spanish Autovia so I'm not caning it and all in all I have to say that it's a very competent and comfortable motor.  More competent and comfortable than me anyway (damned with faint praise).

Our Sat Nav is working (today) and the air con and cruise control all do their respective jobs.  So, in fairly swift time, and having avoided all tolls (stingebag strikes again) we arrived at our hotel in Segovia.  On check-in the young lady at the desk told us that the car park is available in the hotel at 14 Euro a night.  However, she also told us that we can park around the corner at the on-street pay and display parking for free on Saturday afternoons and Sundays (it's already Saturday afternoon).  Off I went around the corner and (finally) found a space.  By the time we left on Monday I'd paid 1 whole Euro for parking.  Result.  Our room was very nice and had a view of Segovia's aqueduct - the best preserved piece of Roman architecture in all Spain.  A room with a decent view is effectively an upgrade for us.  Another result.  All in all this probably ended up being the best first day's holiday on record from the persepctive of everything going completely right.  This cannot continue, surely...

View from our room