Aqueducts are the shit

A couple of hours after getting home Saturday morning all of us were on our way to Segovia. This city was pretty sweet. Its really old with lots of history. For example, they still have their aqueducts which had been in use up until 80 years ago (that’s right; the Roman aqueducts were being used to bring water to Segovia for that long. Talk about an engineering marvel. I was impressed. The engineer in me couldn’t help resist). Even more impressive is the fact that the aqueduct has no adhesives holding it together. Each piece of the aqueduct was made like a puzzle piece and that’s how it’s held together. Awesome right?! (yes I know my CMU is showing, but I know you are all impressed by it too!) We also saw a Cathedral which was more impressive on the outside than on the inside. The last thing we saw was the old castle called el Alcazar (they say that it inspired Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle). Documents show that it’s been in existence since around the 12th century, but the material used was the same as those of the aqueducts, which leads some to believe that its been around since before the 12th century. Inside of it, we saw the throne room of Isabel I y Fernando (los reyes catolicos) as well as some bed rooms, the chapel, and the artillery school they had inside of it. We also climbed all the way to the top of the tower were you had a whole city view of Segovia. It was one giant hike up the really narrow stairwell. The top of the tower is also where Alfonso X did all of his astronomy studies. Pretty neat, right? After that we were given time to wonder around and have lunch. A group of us decided to get some lunch. Some wanted to try the famous cochinillo of Segovia which is basically a pig that’s cooked a certain way. I was not up for that, so I got some chorizo and eggs. Yum yum. We then headed back to Madrid. We took our siestas on the bus and when we got home.

Later on Saturday night we decided to go out again (but not as late as Friday). This time we went to Chueca, the mainly gay area. Saturday was Orgullo 2009 (Gay day!) so the place was packed with all kinds of people. It was quite interesting. But every place was packed to the brim with people. All bars, clubs, and plazas were filled with people having a good time and singing songs. Since it was so packed we decided to meet up with some other people who were at a club. It was interesting because the club was closed to the public because there was a private party going on, but somehow we all got in. It was a very chill time with some dancing and talking. After that we decided to g home because we had little sleep the night before and wanted to go to El Rastro Sunday morning.

Sunday morning we headed out once again to El Rastro. I must say, I never want to that again. I’ve come to despise el Rastro. I know people who love it because of all the booths with cheap stuff and they like haggling, but I personally cannot stand the crowds of people. The moment you step out off the metro, you become one of the thousands of sardines on the streets. It’s really hot, there are tons of people who push and shove you, and half the time things are way overpriced and I don’t like haggling. It practically impossible to get to some stands because of packed it is. Plus, I’m paranoid that someone will try to mug me/ rob me while I’m walking around. I’m glad I went to El Rastro (twice) because it was an experience, but never again do I want to go there. I just get so overwhelmed and agitated when I’m there. Thankfully, we weren’t there for long. We then met up with some of the girls and had some tapas in the nearby La Latina area. We then walked to Plaza Mayor to check out some gelatos places (there were none open) and eventually ended up in Sol. At the heart of Sol there is this bakery were all sorts of pastry are sold. Since we couldn’t satisfy our gelato fix, we decided to get some pastry. I had a napolitana de chocolate. It was divine. It was like a croissant mixed with a señorita and something else. it was the best euro I have ever spent. (I am going to get so fat from this trip, but I don’t care!).

And that’s how my day as gone so far, ending with a delicious dessert. 

Hasta la proxima tios!