YPAS 2009 Performance Tour Day 3 from Tour Reporter Reece Jones

March 28, 2009
Segovia
Today we left Madrid and headed for Segovia. Segovia is located about 95 kilometers north of Madrid.
We woke up around seven and left at nine in our big coach buses. The buses are really nice, and they have large windows that are perfect for taking in the landscape.
The area surrounding Madrid and Segovia is pretty flat and filled with small trees and bushes. It was pretty dull on the drive but it also only took an hour or two, so everyone seemed to make it. One of our tour guides, Stefania, talks with us on the bus about what were are going to do for the day. She also shares many cultural aspects of Spain and Europe. For instance, when greeting, two woman or a man and women who meet in Spain often kiss once on the left cheek and then on the right. In Italy, they kiss first on the right and then on the left, and in France they do left, right and then left.
Once ariving at Segovia, we took a panoramic tour of the city from the bus. I think this is a great way to get an idea of the city as a whole because you get to cover a lot of space in little time. Well, drivers in Spain are CRAZY.... Little coupes swerve between lanes, speed like no other, and fly through blind curves. The only place they drive according to the rules is crosswalks. The second that little green man illuminates the people rush across the intersection. Oh, and lord forbid if you are in the intersection when the little man turns red. You face furious honking and shaking fists. During the tour we saw the Segovia Cathedral. It was probably 40 degrees and windy. Nearly everyone was freezing but a few of us huddled for warmth. Built in the 16th century, this cathedral was the last baroque cathedral built in Spain. Next we traveled and took a tour of Alcazar. This castle was a favorite residence of the queen and king of Castile. The inside is filled with huge tapestrasies, but they hardly kept it warm. The ceilings were adorned with gold leaf and one room, the pine cone room, had a ceiling covered with golden pinecones.
From Alcazar we went to the main square of Segovia. In Segovia we saw the Roman aqueduct. Unfortunately it started to sleet a little but everyone had at least a coat to wear. It was really cool because the entire thing was held up without any mortar in between the stones. In the main square there was a very famous restaurant called Condido. There several of us enjoyed a dinner where we were served conchillos, or baby pigs. The pigs were roasted for hours and were incredibly tender. The owner of the restaurant gave us a special demonstration. After reading the story of the conchillos and the restaurant, the senor took a plate and cut the pig by bashing the brim of the plate down. The meat was so tender that you could actually cut it with a plate. finally, after the cutting, he threw the plate up in the air. It bounced on the floor once and then broke into pieces.
This meal was the end to a wonderful day. Everyone seemed to enjoy their day in Segovia even though the weather seemed against us.