We spent the last week with family in New York. The weather was not very good but it was a relaxing visit. We focused on finishing up some loose ends for our trip and getting all packed. Our packs weigh about 24 pounds each which will lighten as we travel. We have paper guides for towns and museums, lots of pills to keep us alive, clothes, and liquid products. Most will be tossed as we use them. Our flight leaves JFK at 1005 PM and we leave my brothers house at 5 o’clock expecting rush hour traffic to slow us down. We make out better than expected with very little traffic and get to the airport in an hour. When we go to check in, they tell us that they are not open yet and to stand in another line until they are ready. Thirty minutes later they open and check in goes smooth. They have a weight limit on carry on and they do not ask to weigh our backpacks so we are good to go. We then move to a 35 minute long security line and get to the gate after an hour and twenty minutes. Even though we ate a very early lunch/dinner at my moms house, Carol wants a slice of pizza so I go off looking for it. One would think that with pizza, being a New York staple, I wouldn’t have to go far. One would be wrong. I walk about a mile through two concourses to find the only pizza place in Terminal 4. I actually break a sweat with a fast walk back to our gate. Carol is now happy so my duty is done. We start boarding around 9:15 and leave the gate on time but depart late due to ATC delays. This would have never happened when I was working!
I have trouble sleeping and after a few hours they surprise us by serving dinner. We eat dinner with some red wine and try and sleep again. It is a bit too hot on the plane for me and I toss and turn until they turn the lights on around 0930 Spain time which is 0330 New York time, so they can serve breakfast. We eat again without the wine and try to rest for the last hour. We land about thirty minutes early and tinker with the thought that maybe we can catch a 1240 train to Segovia instead of the 1540 we planned on.

Next Stop Segovia

This is not to be as the walk from the gate to the terminal is about a mile and then we take a shuttle bus to Terminal 4 where there is a local train to Madrid. That’s when Carol says, we didn’t take money out of an ATM, so off we go to find one. Cash in hand, we go to the train ticket office to buy the ticket from Madrid Charmartin station to Segovia. This includes the local train ride to the Madrid station, saving us a little money. We get to Chamartin station and have a three and a half hour wait for our train. We find seats and the wait goes pretty fast between the occasional snooze and the people watching.
At 1520, we board our fast train for the thirty minute ride to Segovia.

Segovia Aqueduct

We arrive in Segovia at 1607 and take a bus from the station to town. We walk to the Roman Aqueduct from the first century, which is what the town is famous for. The sun has briefly shown its face so we get a few pictures. The aqueduct was built arches and all, with no mortar whatsoever. Truly an amazing task. We get a map from the Tourist Information office (TI) and walk the short distance to our apartment. It is a little before 1700 and no one is there but we did tell them between 1700 and 1800 for our arrival. We text the owner and soon someone shows up. He apologizes that he doesn’t speak English but we get by just fine and he is able to communicate the sights to see on a map.

Segovia Studio

The studio apartment is very nice and very clean. We have dinner reservations at 2000 (8 o’clock) and try to sneak in a little nap. We freshen up, and start out for dinner. We see the owners father, who checked us in, as we are leaving and he gives us an umbrella as it is raining. The restaurant is not very far and we arrive a few minutes before the dinner start time of 2000. The Spanish do not serve dinner before 2000 and some restaurants start even later.

Bean Soup and Castellano Soup

We both order a a four course fix price meal which includes soup, salad, roast suckling pig ( a Segovia specialty) and desert. It also includes bread, bottled water, a half liter of wine and coffee. Seems like a good deal for 29.50 Euros each. The waiter does not speak English but we get by with the occasional help of a translate app that Carol found for her phone. It does not use Wifi and you can type to translate or take pictures of a menu or signs and it translates the photo also. It should come in handy. We do not need the photo app as they give us an English menu. After pouring our water and wine we are provided with a free appetizer, a pork rind,bacon fat dish that puts our bacon to shame. It has a fatty part that melts in your mouth but a crunch outside. After that the soup comes. We thought it was a choice of one of two soups and mentioned the Bean soup, another local specialty. We are surprised when we each are given two bowls of each one of two soups. Not small bowls either. They are both good and different. The large beans are mixed with a smoky sausage which favors that soup. The other soup is what we think is pork and bread in the soup with a totally different flavor and texture. We are filling up fast and the main course is yet to come.

About to Pig Out

Next a salad and then the sucking pig which is plated by the waiter and away we go. The pork is succulent and moist in your mouth while the skin provides a nice crunchy texture. I tell the waiter trabajas duro which means you are working hard which gets a smile and acknowledgement. This, I believe led to a free coffee espresso after dessert and also two free shots, a baileys type cream for Carol and a local liquor of some sort for me.

Yes, She’s Happy

What was for dessert, you ask. We got Ponche Segoviano, the local dessert, a tiramisu apple cinnamon type dessert, and asked him ( in Spanish) for his recommendation on the second. He recommended the cheesecake which was a great choice and not a cheesecake as we know it. Creamier served with berries and a sauce in a sideways ice cream cone. It was very good, dare we say better than their local favorite. This was a fantastic meal and the topper to a very relaxing first day. Now to try and get our sleep patterns into this time zone. Good night. Here is some costs and stats.

Expenses
Pizza in NY 10.69USD
Hotel Apartamento Aralso 103.68E
Train Madrid Airport to Segovia 29.40E
Bus in Segovia 4E
Dinner at Asador Mirabel 65.40E
Walked 3.0 Miles