Today we woke up early in order to leave the hotel for Segovia at 9. Most people grabbed a small breakfast in the hotel buffet before making their way to the lobby. At 9, we made our way outside to the area where the bus would pick us up. What followed was the relaxing hour-and-a-half drive from Madrid, through the countryside, and into the small town of Segovia. It was fun to gaze at all the villages and mountains that Spain has throughout its land while the background radio of the bus played classic American hit songs. In addition, we got a sneak peek at the Valley of the Fallen along the way.

We were mainly coming to Segovia to see the famous Roman aqueducts that still exist and stand proudly in the town. There was a terrific sight waiting for us when we finally pulled up on one of the roads overlooking it.

Our tour guide, a British lady with perfect English, gave us numerous facts about the aqueducts and some history behind them and Segovia as a whole. She explained that lots of masonry work went into designing the ducts and moving them/holding them together in a place where they would not collapse, even without concrete. After getting a nice view of the aqueducts from the top, we decided to trek further into the town. Segovia is a very walkable area, with many stone paths and gift shops/restaurants lined along the sides. We passed lots of those while making our way to our next major stop, the cathedral. We were fortunate to get the chance to look inside and observe the beautiful artwork/architecture there.

Past the cathedral, we made our way towards el Torre de Juan II. We crossed over the moat and into the tower to explore. In order to get to the top, our group had to climb 150 steps. The view was worth it, however.

By this point, it was around 2. We decided to break for lunch for two hours before returning to Madrid. A group of us, including myself, had seen a James Blick video where he tried a delicacy called “roast suckling pig”. Wanting to engross ourselves in the culture, we walked over to José María. Unfortunately, because it was peak lunchtime, there was chaos in there and they understandably did not want to seat twelve of us at a table. I and a few others left. However, after we left, the remaining few broke up into smaller groups and managed to land tables at the restaurant. As for us, we made our way over to a cool Lebanese restaurant near the aqueducts called Tuma. Jomira, who came with us, knew all about what kind of Lebanese food to order and communicate with the waiter on behalf of all ten of us. We got to eat very delicious food, stuff that I had never even heard of before, like kebbe, labne, hummus (very nicely made), fatoush, taboule, chicken/lamb, and shawarma.

All in all, we had a very nice and relaxing lunch on the terrace. The other group got to get the full roasted pig experience, such as seeing how the chefs cut the pig’s head off its body (after it is already dead) with a plate.

Around 4, some people decided to walk around some nearby shops to pick up souvenirs. We also made sure to use the bathrooms, which cost 50 cents at the gift shop, before boarding the bus again. On the way back, mostly everyone slept, except for a few of us in the front who jammed to hits from the Backstreet Boys and Aerosmith.

We got back to Madrid at 6. I heard from some others that from 6 to 7:30 pm, the Prado would allow free entry. Due to that, I took a 15-minute walk from the bus, under the hot Madrid sun, already red as a tomato from foolishly not wearing sunscreen, in order to stand in line to get in. The line moved quickly, and I was inside in no time. Unfortunately, the day’s long events caught up to me, and I felt a huge wave of exhaustion wash over me as I started walking around the museum. Nevertheless, I tried to power through and see as much as I could. Interestingly enough, photos are not allowed inside the Prado. It was nice to just be able to amble around and observe without feeling obligated to whip my phone out. Most of the art centered around themes of Christ, religion, and Jesus dying on the cross/being resurrected. It was interesting to observe how big religion was in society during the earlier centuries. I personally was not super interested in this type of art, however, the paintings that stood out to me as my favorites were the dog paintings in one of the rooms. The Goya exhibit in the museum was also fascinating. By 7:30, I decided to leave and head back to the hotel.

I rested in the room for about two hours in order to gain some energy back. By this time, almost everyone else had gone out to eat in their own groups. At around 10, I decided to venture over to Santo Domingo Plaza to see if there were any new spots that I could eat at. During my walk, I realized there was an important Europa League football match between Sevilla and Juventus occurring at this time. As a result, I made it my mission to find a bar to watch the match at. I walked to several bars, but they were either too busy or not showing the match on their TV. Thankfully though, I knew of one spot where I was certain to watch the match at a relatively empty bar, all while getting the chance to munch on some nice Spanish cuisine: TGI Fridays. 

I do not regret going to TGI Fridays because the second half, as well as extra time, involved a great Sevilla comeback. I filled up on a nice burger after failing spectacularly to order in Spanish. I also met a nice man at the bar named Diego who worked as an engineer in Spain, and was a huge Atletico fan (I was wearing an Atletico Madrid hoodie that I bought the previous day, which allowed us to hit it off). We talked at the bar in broken Spanglish for two hours, where he treated me to some free buffalo wings and mozzarella sticks. 

At midnight, I headed back to the hotel and joined some other students to head out into the city for a few hours. Unfortunately, I was not able to get any sleep even after returning back to the hotel, so I decided to end my long day by walking in Retiro Park at 6:30 am and catching the sunrise.

All in all, it was a very busy day that was filled with so much adventure. Segovia was a breathtaking place with so much history and vibrant culture to offer. I am really happy that I got the chance to step outside of the city and take in this wonderful experience that will stay for a long time with me.