The last two days.

Yikes, so much to tell while I’m waiting for the pictures from Caceres to upload. Be prepared for a lot of typos. Here goes.
First, just general observations. Madrid is so busy because of the Christmas season. People are running around in neon colored wigs till all hours of the night. Then the cafes don’t open until nine because nobody’s up yet!
If you are standing at a bus stop where multiple lines stop, you must wave your bus down or it will not stop.  Also, the bus I was in this morning had a car seat for a baby. The parents are supposed to put their kids in that and fold up the stroller to save room. Very clever.
The marked lanes for bikes are just regular car lines which they share right in the middle of traffic. I did see one ghost bike. That’s a bike painted white and chained to a lamppost where a cyclist died.
Bullfights are seasonal, usually at the time when the town celebrates the festival of its patron saint.
The seatbelt law is strictly enforced and you must even have it on in a touring bus.

So, let’s get started with yesterday. I got up early and found Plaza de Espana, where I had to catch the bus for my day tour to Avila and Segovia. I was early, so I walked around and found where the bus station was for today’s  trip so that I wouldn’t have to search tomorrow morning. Fortunately, it was easy to find. Ok, so I got on the bus and we headed for the beautiful walled city of Avila. The walls are still 90% originally from centuries ago. On the way I noticed the boulders and the very rocky soil. There were a lot of stone fences which reminded me a lot of Ireland. And we had to go through a tunnel that was 3 kilometers long. On this trip I met a young woman from Ukraine named Anna. We hung together for the day. She had done a year of high school in Hoth Springs, Arkansas and spoke excellent English. She works for a company that produces clothes and armor for re-enactments and renaissance fairs. Very interesting.
After our stop there, we headed to Segovia where the roman’s 16 km long aqueduct which brought water from the mountains to the city is still standing. Anna and I had a nice lunch before the tour started. It’s just a lovely old Roman town with a lot of Arabic influence. I went into the Alcazar castle and loved the ceilings and the tiles the best. Tiles are an invention of the moslems in Spain. And any name or word in Spanish which starts with “Al” comes from Arabic.

Sonia had recommended both towns and I was glad I got to see them both. When We got to Madrid at 6, I immediately went to the main square where I joined the tour about the inquisition. People were just milking around all over, shooting off firecrackers, blowing bubbles and just doing crazy things. And the Christmas light is spectacular.  Not overdone or gaudy. Just very tasteful.

The tour lasted two hours and I was getting tired. Just before we got to the last stop, I saw my bus stop so I broke away and came back to the hotel because I knew I had to be up extra early this morning.

I’ll write about the start of the Andalusia tour tomorrow. I really have to sleep now.