July 23rd, 2011

Today started at 6:25 a.m. (after several hits of the snooze). After breakfast I met Jenna to painfully trek the 2 miles to the bus stop. Somehow we were there early for once (usually I am the last one)! At 8:00 we departed for Segovia! We were all really excited, we knew it was going to be a great day – the bus was nearly filled with Michigan students.

Segovia is breathtaking. As soon as you drive up, the aqueduct makes you feel that you’ve stepped into a time machine. It dwarfs you and humbles you. No mortar was used to build it – they used keystones to support the arches. The Romans were geniuses. Our guide then led us to the Casa de los Picos. It is the palace of the fifteenth century and was home to the ruler of the city – Juan de la Hoz. The decided to decorate it with the curious design of diamond points. The house is located in a small plaza popularly known as the barrio de las brujas. During this time it was where the artesanos, obreros y moriscos lived. We also saw the statue of Juan Bravo, The convent of Corpus Christi, the neighborhood of the Canonjías, and of course the Catedral!

After our tour of Segovia we had a couple hours of free time before our next stop. Of course we had to go and get some of the best Cochinillo Asado (fried baby big) in Spain! The restaurant was great. It sits right below the aqueduct and has a ton of character. In Andy’s class we had seen a video of “On the Road Again” and the people had gone to this restaurant. The meat is so tender they slice it with a plate and serve it to you. And the skin! There are no words for how wonderful that fatty skin tastes…

After our lunch we took a short bus ride over to La Granja. I didn’t know we were going here, so this was a wonderful surprise. On the drive over we passed several fields filled with sunflowers. Everything was so green and covered in flowers I didn’t feel like we were in Spain anymore. Here we went to the spectacular palacio de la Granja of San Ildefonso. It has been compared to the palacio de Versalles if that says anything. Originally a summer getaway for the royal family, it is now host to a beautiful collection of tapestries, paintings, sculptures, and crystal chandeliers. My favorite part though was the gardens. I could have spent all day exploring them and taking pictures. Jordan, Katie, Addy and I all snuck into one of the fountains and waded around! The fountains and flowers go on forever, and the back of the palace is even more beautiful than the front.

We got back home to Salamanca a little after 9:00 and then we all met up in the plaza to go out. Time to bar hop. The first place we went to had an interesting drink – agua de Valencia. It is a liter of vodka, champagne and fanta. Don’t worry, Sydney and I shared a liter. Then we went somewhere where we got caramel shots (they taste like candy!) and free long Islands. Our next stop was the Chupiteria (Chupitas=shots in Spanish) and we all got the house drink! Okay listen to this – a wafer shot glass lined with chocolate, filled with coffee liquor, topped with whipped cream. It was like a dessert.

Another great day studying abroad!

Katherina