Tuesday, 22 November, 2016:
Hard to believe that it's been fifty-three years since the day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
Laurie and I decided to head North on an adventurous day.
See, ADVENTURE was in the air!
We loaded up into the Land Rover to head to the ancient cities (OK, OK, I know, all the cities in Spain are ancient) of Segovia and Pedraza de la Sierra.
Our GPS system had us get off the Autopista to take a smaller, highway through the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains which are a popular skiing destinations for Madrileños.
We stopped for breakfast
at a semi-ski lodge
It had an Atletico Madrid vs.
Real Madrid foosball game
Laurie and hearts just seem
to go together
Part of the nearby ski lift
Driving in the clouds
Old roofs
Scenic Highways
We ran into a sign that announced a historical site that was not on our agenda so an amendment was made on the spot.
Welcome to . . .
La Granja de San Ildefonso
It looked regal
We loved the Fall colors
as we walked
HEY, that's a real, live
Christmas tree!
Laurie was excited
A Royal Palace
This palace was the 300-room Palacio Real that was once the favorite Summer residence for Spanish royalty. It was built for the Bourbon King Felipe V who wanted the recreate a miniature version of Versailles, the palace of his French grandfather, King Louis XIV.
The Gardens and Fountains
were to our left
Lots of new pine cones
This is just the palace's
small chapel
That's a BIG tree
Real, live holly
The palace grounds are full of Christmas symbolism!
The Bourbons were French
The Royal Gardens in Autumn
The Fountains are still on Tuesdays
Nature at its finest
Ancient version of Kevin and Jacob
play/wars?
Good spot to read a book
Just flat out peaceful
Interesting woman
Walking towards this . . .
. . . Fountain
Now, THAT'S what a 300-room
Palacio Real should look like!
Facing out to the Gardens
As everyone knows, the Bourbons
were HUGE Los Angeles Rams fans
We walked this path
Somebody's Mother I suspect
300 rooms take up a lot of space
Serene Garden
The Fountain of Fame
Another look back at
the Palacio Real
Lots of these in the Gardens
Fall colors are amazing
The Palacio Real as seen from
the Fountain of Fame
Hi, sailor!
Yes, Lions are indeed a sign
of royalty
Makes sense to me to call it
Calle del Rey
Artsy photo out of a
men's room window
One of many gates
Heading back to the Land Rover
We did enter into the Palacio Real itself to see the amazing Tapestry Museum but opted not to tour the whole palace because photos were not allowed and we have seen more than our fair share of royal bedrooms and royal dining rooms over the last eight years living throughout Europe.
More old roof tiles
Harkening back to the
Golden Age of Spain
This unscheduled stop at La Granja de San Ildefonso was delightful!
Now it was on to our original first stop 50 miles north of Madrid in . . .
SEGOVIA
Segovia's famed Roman Aqueduct
Segovia sits 3,000 feet above sea level and can be quite chilly this time of year.
I had visited Segovia alone back in 2012 on my way to coaching the Thun Tigers in Switzerland and had really enjoyed the city. It would be Laurie's first time to this old city that served as a military base for the Roman Empire.
Much of modern Segovia lies
in the valley beneath
the historic district
WHAT A SIGHT!
We loved it!
Built by Emperor Trajan's engineers
It was originally nine miles long and brought water from the Río Frio to the city.
This famous, exposed section of the 2,000 year old aqueduct is 2,500 feet long and 100 feet high.
It has 118 arches and was made
from 20,000 granite blocks
The amazing thing is that it was constructed without any mortar and can still carry a small stream of water to the city.
The Mesón de Cándido
Probably the most famous restaurant in the city, it serves up a delicious cochinillo (roast, suckling pig) that is both tender and juicy.
My dear Aunt Katy told me that I had to eat here when I came in 2012, so I did.
Hard to believe that Aunt Katy died two years ago the week before Thanksgiving.
Laurie was all for eating
at the Mesón de Cándido
So we did
Vino tinto goes GREAT
with cochinillo
Rustic eating spot
Finally, the cochinillo
arrived with amazing aromas
I got a pig foot to boot!
The Aqueduct through the
Mesó de Cándido's window
Kind of a Hunting Lodge
feel to the place
If you are ever in Segovia,
eat here!
Señor Cándido himself
Afterwards, we needed to walk off some of that fine meal on the streets of Segovia.
Casa de los Picos
of Moorish origins
Another ancient door
The City Museum
I'm an Abuelo
three times over!
Laurie and her men in uniform
The Plaza de San Martín
Juan Bravo
Bravo was a Segovian who was beheaded in 1521 due to his leading a revolt against the Hapsburg's King Charles V who ruled Castile at that time.
The Cathedral in the distance
Cool Arches
In memory of the anti-Fascist
Republicans who died fighting in
the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War
The Old Jewish neighborhood
The Jews were expelled from Spain
by the Catholic Kings in the 1500s
Sephardic tapas?
Segovia's impressive Gothic Cathedral
built from 1525 to 1768
Due to time restraints, we did not enter.
Who's older,
me or this door?
Archaic building materials
Laurie loves all things cherry
A small, random church that
is hardly worth mentioning
A monument to some
artillery officers
The Alcázar
This is Segovia's medieval fortified palace that was a favorite residence of many of the monarchs of Castile.
It also, over time, served as a prison for 200 years and as the Royal Artillery School.
Now it is a museum.
View from the Alcázar
A better view of the Alcazar
The view of the Cathedral from
the Alcázar
Walking back to the Land Rover,
another shot of the Cathedral
and another
American culture invades
España
Nice display window
We were on the road again for a 45 minute drive to our final destination.
A random church along the way
Finally we arrived at . . .
Pedraza de la Sierra
This was a small, population 200, medieval city recommended to us by one of the Guadalajara Stings players a few weeks ago.
Pedraza de la Sierra's
mountain top castle
I've got to drive the Land Rover
through these narrow streets?
I definitely pulled in the side view mirrors just in case.
The valley below this
medieval mountain village
You guessed it,
a random church
HUGE stork's nest
atop the tower
Quiet streets on a cold, late
afternoon in Pedraza de la Sierra
The castle is now an art museum
It was closed today.
Nice flag!
Nicer moat
The castle's main door
deserved a closer look
Spikes . . .
Lots and . . .
Lots of spikes
Plus a great locking mechanism.
As for me, I like to study . . .
Spores . . .
Molds . . .
And fungus
Hammer Time in
Pedraza de la Sierra
That is one tall tower
More HUGE stork nests
A basket weaver's home?
Wolf
Lion
Laurie likes the lace
in the window look
Solid wall construction
Fun with Phone Booths
Pedraza de la Sierra's
14th-century Plaza Mayor
A townswoman drawing water
School Crest
Truck full of fire wood
I can get through there, right?
The 90 minute drive home was done mostly in a rain storm that turned into snow flurries for a couple of minutes.
No problem, we were in a Land Rover!
Osos Rivas Time!
No practice was scheduled for tonight but we were going to have a video session with the team to go over last Saturday's Camioneros game.
WR Marco Chomón
wearing Fidel Castro's
original baseball uniform
It explained the beard to me finally.
The room was full of
Osos ready to learn
Unfortunately, no one knew where the team's video projector was hiding, so no videos were shown.
Just another day in EuroBall.
On an upbeat note,
it was time for
GUADALAJARA STINGS FOOTBALL!
True teammates help each
other get properly dressed
Form tackling drill onto
dummies was fun for all
Scrimmage time
Pass Protection with an
off balance Center
Love my Stings!
It was just another GREAT
day to be alive in España!
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