About to board our
bus (same one we took to here from the airport) to Segovia and Avila. There is
someone (Nick) feeling sick and they are not coming (Sammy is feeling better
and is with us). I'm going to try very hard to not get sick, that would suck. Apparently
we're going to be a lot busier after this Salamanca time, so maybe I should try
to get my homework done while I'm here and not put it off too much longer.
For breakfast today
I cracked open the fancy ham that I bought a few days ago. It was so good. I
think it's salted and aged for awhile, it looks kinda like bacon but tastes a
bit different. I had that with some hard boiled eggs. It was a nice heart breakfast;
I like hearty breakfasts but it's not generally done here in Spain. I just like
having the energy from a nice breakfast to keep me going throughout the first
part of my day.
We'll see how this
bet thing works out. Minute we step off the bus, I'll be listening. No English.
In the bus: we're
passing old castle ruins in fields. One in particular is very castle-like.
Turrets and all. Just sitting in the middle of the field, no roads or anything.
Ávila has a stone
wall around all of it, with turret towers and crenellations.
"Muralla"
in Spanish.
It was built in
around 1000 after the Christians reconquered this area to keep out the Muslims.
The Muslims left in around 1400. Estylo románico is when the windows are very
small and tall, to shoot arrows out of but not get shot at. This was the style
in 1000-1300 when the wall was built. I guess it's more of a security measure
than a style, but Seve called it a style, so…
Just entering the
city now by way of a small entrance (picture Bree from LOTR). To protect the
city, it was always closed at night.
All the streets are
super narrow cobblestone with overhanging buildings and balconies.
The cathedral here
is built into the wall, and is older than any cathedral we've seen before
(started 1100, finished 1500). Less
ornate, and full of different styles ending with gothic. 400 years of
construction makes for mixed styles I guess. So there are tiny small windows
and old bricks, and one fancy gothic style façade with a fancy glass window
made from different stone.
There are really
sweet candies called yemas de Santa Teresa, Saint Teresa being a saint that
lived 500 years ago. I think her forearm is in this cathedral because cities
we're fighting over where her body should be so they split her up.
"Yema" means yoke, pad of finger (fingertip?) and also this kind of
really sweet candy.
There's a Burger
King here. Of course there is.
Inside the tourist
"walk the wall" entrance there's a replica of the wall out of wood.
It's interesting to see the way it's not completely straight.
Now we get to walk
along the wall and see all the small streets below us.
Tyson, Jayda, and
Ken Henderson already all lost the bet. You can be sure I will be filming the
Oh Canada and push-ups in Plaza Meyor.
There's a big hole
(covered up with wood now) which used to be a staircase. And it includes a
drain pipe. I can see into courtyards from up on the wall, hidden places in the
city that you can't see from the street.
I found the place
where they pour the hot oil onto intruders, they put a grate over it. It's
right on top of the main entrance. So they can shoot them with arrows and then
kill them with oil if they come too close.
I love how this city
is like a jigsaw puzzle; there's no empty space. Buildings and roofs and the
surrounding wall join up and cover the sky.
Mr Henderson has a
metaphor for Spain, and for traveling in general: it's a buffet at the Empress.
Everything is amazing, there's so much to eat bit at some point you just can't
eat everything. I think it sums up Ávila (and Spain) pretty well.
Periodically there
is a drain going down from the wall to the outside. Honestly, the architects
really did plan this thing quite well. There are some boards put up along one
portion of the wall where people's windows are right next to the wall. I guess
they got tired of tourists staring in at all hours.
Me Henderson bought
us some of the super sweet candies (which I now know are made of egg yolk and
sugar, hence the name). I'm not going to have any, just because they are so
sweet and I feel like that would be too much cheating on my no-sugar rule (I
had a smidge of 90% chocolate instead). Emma says it tastes like soft toffee,
but minus the stickiness. And quite sweet. People seem to like them or dislike
them a bit, I think they taste a bit different than anything they've ever had
before. They're whole egg yolks and sugar. Little yellow blobs, dusted with
white.
In Segovia, we will
see a roman construction that is 2016 yeas old. Year 0. This construction is an
aqueduct. I'm so excited, because roman aqueducts are famous. And amazing. This
one is still in use, transporting water from the mountains to Segovia. Segovia
is quite close to Madrid, a 20 min drive. The food of Segovia are piglets, so
there are symbols of little pigs everywhere.
Ponche is a kind of candy natove to here as well. There is a cathedral
here, the "little sister" of the cathedral in Salamanca, built on the
same style, slightly smaller.
We just drove by the
very start (end?) of the aqueduct. It runs right through the city, pretty
low-key at the start. Just a little hole type thing in a low building. Then it
runs through a checkpoint building, then starts with the arches until it
crosses a valley in the middle of the city using two sets of arches. Built
using no mordant. It's held together with friction. Incredible.
There's a small
monument of a wolf feeding two small children. It represents two brothers who
built Rome who were abandoned by their father and we're raised by wolves.
I'm still in awe of
the fact that this has stood, plain stones, for 2000 years. I'm afraid it's
going to fall. But I know it won't.
There are mountains
here that are supposed to look like a sleeping woman but it's hard to see when
there's snow. I think it's just hard to see generally.
Again, skinny
streets of cobblestone.
But this time with
roman buildings, churches, and statues everywhere. And sphinxes and statues of
famous men who led Segovia into battle many times, like Juan Bravo.
There are no real
car roads, but service vehicles and others occasionally make their way through the crowds of people, like
an elephant in a crowd of flamencos. It happens sometimes in Salamanca as well,
cars just pushing their way across the cobblestones to small garages underneath
small apartments.
Zoe and Matteo both
lost the Spanish game as well. Practicing Oh Canada on the bus.
There's totally a
weeping angel on top of one of the cathedral towers. It's grey while the rest
of the building is sand-coloured, and it looks exactly like they do on the
show, and it looks completely out of place. I'm a bit scared.
There's a guy
advertising his restaurant in English: "All the foods".
I bought a nice
shawl from a lady on the side of the road with her stall. She tried to get me
to buy other things. But no. My obvious tourist ness was definitely a factor.
The shawl is probably worth about €10. She said €20 at first. Then down to €15.
Then I got it to ten. It's still possible I overpaid, but honestly I would
rather buy things in Spain from street stalls than multibillion dollar
department stores.
Apparently the
cathedral here has been cleaned and that's why it's such a light colour
compared to the one in Salamanca.
This castle, in
Segovia, is the one that Disney was inspired by to make the logo. The original
was built in 1100. But it's been destroyed and rebuilt many, many times since
then. It has been a military school, a palace, and other things. Each room has
elements from throughout the centuries. The big tower is surrounded by
scaffolding at the moment, for cleaning and repairs, and was used for the most
important things. We're going to climb to the top in a small dingy spiral
staircase from the original castle. Escalera de caracol (snail) in Spanish.
There's a giant moat
around the castle. The only way to get in is a small bridge four feet across.
Very defendable.
Ok well apparently
the scaffolding is also an indication that we can't go up because it's closed.
So I think we're going to see the cathedral now instead.
The cathedral of
Segovia is exactly the same layout as the one in Salamanca. There are many many
chapels. And a small museum area where you're not allowed to take pictures.
There are so many amazing paintings and artifacts. Metal flowers, golden
crowns, giant intricate tapestries, etc.
There's a display of
keys. They're all so big and heavy. And some are very complex. There are also
ancient coins: they all have prints of the King/queen in power at the time, or
a coat of arms.
There's a courtyard
in the middle, just like the other one. And a well in the middle of the
courtyard.
The choir space is
the same as the one in Salamanca: two fancy gold-plated angel-adorned organs
sandwiching a semi-circle of carved wooden choir seats. And a book-holder in
the middle: this time with four example books on it! The same kind of music
notation, but two were closed so you could see the heavy leather covers and
metal clasps holding them closed. I think the giant books are my favourite part
of visiting the cathedrals here.
After the cathedral
it was time to head back on the bus. We met under the roman aqueduct again. And
drove back. We got home at about 9:30, the same time as the last couple days,
but I'm more tired. Today was a very long day. But very cool. Now I have to fill
out a page of homework we got on Ávila and Segovia for tomorrow's class in
Spanish.
And have dinner. And
then sleep.
