Segovia, Spain – May 13, 2012
We headed out today with Tio y Tia (uncle and aunt) to the beautiful city of Segovia, Spain. We arrived at about 10:00 and quickly made our way to la Criolla restaurant. It is right beside the aqueduct. We sat there and enjoyed a mixture of full breakfasts and pan con tomate (bread with a tomato sauce).
It was apparent that the day would be something special. In the central plaza by the aqueduct, there was a merry go round. That is not normal.
With our appetites sated, we decided it was time to explore the town. We decided to climb the stairs in between the tourist information office and the aqueduct to get to the top of the old city wall. After several breaks, we made it to the top with no problems. From that point, we continued toward Plaza Mayor. When we arrived at the plaza, we saw several triangular banners throughout the square. On the banner, there was a large block of a capital “T.” Imposed on the T was a hand that appeared to have strings reaching down toward a small “t.” It reminded us of marionettes. Sure enough, as we walked through the plaza, we saw people setting up for the puppet shows that would follow shortly. The festival is known as Titirimundi. That explains the letter “T.”
Climbing the stairs near the aqueduct.
Along the way, we came across a traffic jam at a parking garage entry. The reason for the jam was that the entrance to the garage is by an elevator only. With the cars backed up, heaven help a driver who needed to exit at that time — an odd scene.
We continued beyond the cathedral about a block or so and then began to double back. From the south side of the plaza, we took the main commercial street, Calle Isabel la Católica. It became increasingly crowded with people. About halfway between the Plaza Mayor and the aqueduct, we came across one of the puppet shows. The puppeteers sang and danced to well known American songs while moving their puppets. We stood and watched them for several minutes.
From the puppet show, we resumed our journey toward the aqueduct. When we arrived at that plaza, Plaza del Azequeo, it bustled with people. Many booths and vendors filled the streets. Also, people were doing various forms of live entertainment. Directly under the aqueduct, there was a small four-piece band and several groups of women. The women wore some traditional costumes. We asked one group whether they had made their costumes or purchased them. Of course, they said they made them all by hand. They seemed to appreciate the fact that we showed genuine interest in their handiwork. They invited me to take a photograph of Leslie with the group.
Each of the groups of women had a sign that had various slogans and depictions of the Virgin Mary. They were preparing for a procession of some sort. We did not hang around to see.
The aqueduct as seen from Calle Cervantes.
Back at the car, we set the GPS for San Ildefonso. We thought it would be an excellent idea to stop by the palace at la Granja and stroll through the gardens. I was very disappointed there were no flowers in the garden. That made our walk a little anti-climactic.
As soon as we finished our walk, we got back in the car and headed back home.
Some flowers (virtually the only ones we saw) near La Granja.
