Segovia | Madrid | Villanova Post

Greetings from Vilanova Il Geltru, a small beach town about 40 KM from Barcelona. After a crazy four days of traveling we are now situated in a sweet apartment in the center of Vilanova with a rooftop deck, Mediterranean Sea a short walk away, and satellite TV (currently watching CNBC closing bell). 

Suckling Pig (Cochinillo)

Kids, Carrie and I just finished watching England vs. Ukraine, what a fantastic finish with Rooney scoring the only goal for a 1-0(nil) win, now on to the quarters. We have been closely following the Cup and can't wait for Saturday night - Spain vs. France, this town will be crazy with national pride, Viva Espana. I had an interesting conversation last night during the Spain vs. Croatia matchin with a new friend who was born and raised in Spain. We were discussing the state of the Spanish economy, Alfonso made an interesting point and was serious that the outcome of the Futbol match we were watching was much more important to the people of Spain than the state of the economy and the looming issues that Spain faces.  I found that very telling about the pride associated with Futbol in Spain and it also provided insight why Spain is in its current financial straight jacket.  Okay, enough of the boring stuff - 


We left Potes, Spain en route to Segovia at 7 AM on June 17th. Our hotel Villa De Postes was perfect - a great staff, nice rooms, a kitchen, and a decent pool. Potes was a perfect mountain experience and made us feel like we were home. The landscape is in stark contrast to Colorado but beautiful in a different way. The  mountains were green and lush with little towns built in to the side of the mountain.  We rarely were on single track but rather narrow roads cut in to the side of the mountain. Overall it was nice to be in the mountains and a place we would go back for an extended stay. 

View from the top of the pass

 The first 70 Kilometers of the road from Potes to Segovia was flat out scary and I was fortunate enough to navigate the narrow mountain roads without catastrophe. Many sections of the road were wide enough to fit two golf carts, and that is being generous. At times I came to almost a full stop to navigate a turn that did a complete 180.  We had to drive over the Piedrasluengas mountain pass (1.329 mt.) in the Natural Park of Fuentes Carrionas / Montaña Palentina which was scary but the view at the top with the peaks popping up through the layer of fog was epic. 

Eli at a truck stop while we have a cafe

The trip to Segovia took  us 3+ hours but was well worth it. Our travel days are tough as we leave very early in the morning and the food options on the road are limited. Keep in mind the entire family has adopted the European lifestyle - Wake up 10 am - Lunch 3 PM - Dinner 9 PM - Bed 12ish. So, on travel days waking up between 6/7 am can be rough on the entire team. 

Segovia was amazing and our hotel Los Linajes was perfect, it was also the first time we let the kids sleep in separate hotel room. Segovia is a beautiful town with narrow cobblestone streets and a main plaza where everyone congregates to drink, eat, and play. The main attraction is the The Aqueduct of Segovia. It was built by the Romans, it is 820 meters long and used 25,000 granite blocks without any mortar. It's purpose was to bring water in to the city. 

The Dog Whisperer cutting the Cochinillo

The town of Segovia is known for Suckling Pig so that night we of course had to try it. Isabel, Kalli and I ate the pig and I was lucky enough to get one of the hooves. There was a family sitting next to us and it turns out the dad was the dog whisperer. I had no idea what that meant but Carrie knew who he was. He purchased an entire pig and was given the honor of cutting it. The pig was so soft the dog whisperer was able to cut the pig with a plate. 

Denise & Carrie with the kids

Mercardo De San Miguel

The next morning we left Segovia and headed to Madrid to connect with Carrie's friend from high school Denise O'Sullivan. Denise lives in a beautiful suburb of Madrid with her husband and two kids. She played tour guide for us in Madrid which was appreciated. Madrid is beautiful city but is very very large! It was nice to follow and not have to think and navigate. We only spent one day in Madrid, which was enough with the kids but I would like to go back with Carrie for an extended stay.   We stayed with Denise and her family that night and watched Spain vs Croatia.


The next morning we woke up at 7, again very rough since  the kids went to bed at 12, I went to bed at 12:45 and Carrie at 2 am. We drove from Madrid to Vilanova which was a 6 hour drive. The kids were done/fried/annoyed at the end of the drive. Now we have a week in Vilanova. Today we are off to the beach.

A FEW CLOSING NOTES

I am not sure I made it clear but we are driving a van with manual transmission, and it is diesel. The diesel is great because we have driven over 3700 Kilometers and Diesel is the cheapest gas. The manual has taken me back to high school. There has  been a few moments where I was convinced  I would roll it in to a wall when I stalled on a steep pitch. Most of the alleys, parking garages... are narrow with walls giving 6 inches of space on each side. I had van envy at the beginning when we left Paris and almost upgraded to a full size van, this would have been bad. Based on the number of cities we have navigated with city streets intended for horse and wagon we would have definitely had an issue - think Oxford Blues


Europe definitely sets the fashion trend for the rest of the world - if this holds true expect to see rolled jean shorts for men, capri pants for men, and skinny jeans for babies showing up at your local Gap. 


Finally, my only complaint to this point is there is no coffee take away. Each morning, Europeans go to their local cafe for their coffee and bread. The past few days we have been driving and this has not been an option. Therefore,  Carrie and I have had an inordinate amount of truck stop coffee and appreciated every drop.