Segovia!
It’s about an hour north of Madrid, and we stopped in the mountains to go sledding! I was freezing, but we had a good time. Before Segovia, we visited a little town that’s home to an old royal summer palace. It was awesome to see the grounds covered in snow!
The town of Segovia has a 2,000 year old Roman aqueduct running through the town; it looks like they just finished building it. We walked around the old town, and went on a tour through Segovia’s castle… apparently this castle was one of Walt Disney’s inspirations for the Disney Castle!
The next day, we walked around Madrid… I love that city!
Holy Toledo!
Apparently, Toledo used to be the swords-crafting capital of the world… so of course there were all of these awesome sword shops lining the streets. Although some had cheesy movie replica swords, others actually had original swords from the 16th century! We tried some mazapan, which is a delicious Spanish dessert. It’s a great thing that I’m not allergic to almonds, because almost every dessert involves them in some way.
Cuenca!
Although not as famous as Segovia and Toledo, Cuenca is known for its “hanging houses.” These buildings, some of which date back to the 14th century, are built just over the cliffs of a canyon. Unfortunately, the day we went was about 40 degrees and raining, so I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as I could have. We ate lunch at a cute little Spanish restaurant, and I ate pig’s ear! It was actually really good, although a bit fatty. My host parents were afraid that I wouldn’t eat it if I knew what it was, but I told them I’ll try anything. They then suggested that I try pig’s blood one day, which is apparently a delicacy. That might be pushing my limits, but what the heck; I’ll probably have a taste.
