Off to Madrid and Beyond


IMG_0022
AVE is the name for the fast trains in Spain. We had taken one into Barcelona, but the REALLY fast AVE in Spain is the one from Barcelona to Madrid.

IMG_3392 
The entire trip wasn’t at 300 kph, but it was easy to tell when it got up to that speed. I don’t know for sure what that is in mph, but the way everything was flying past out the window, it was mighty fast.

IMG_3409
We didn't stay in Madrid when we got off the train, rather we had our first trip on our tour bus, heading off to Segovia. It is always amazing when looking at what the Romans did, and in Segovia what they did was still standing in remarkable condition. I can remember reading about Roman aqueducts in those history classes many years ago. Now we were seeing one and it was far more impressive than I had imagined.

IMG_3423
Next it was off to the castle, and on the way we came across this. Some people get all bent out of shape worrying whether they look like a tourist or not. We never did learn exactly why the Romans left Segovia, but I have to wonder if wasn’t because they saw something like this walking the streets of town.

IMG_0105
This for our grandson Zachary who likes knights in shining armor. Looks like grandma likes knights in shining armor also. And here I always thought I was her knight in shining armor, even if I might be getting a worn around the edges. Looks like I’d better be on my best behavior or I could be replaced by someone who would never interrupt Linda when she is talking.
IMG_3469

Dinner was group meal that features roast suckling pig. Skin, lots of fat which was more like liquid grease than solid fat, and accompanied by all the wine you wanted to drink. Needless to say, one of us enjoyed the meal a lot more than the the other. I think there is a meaning to the fact that there was a fire extinguisher behind Linda in this photo, but I had so much fun that night that I haven’t a clue as to what it might have been. I know she didn’t take the fist plane to Las Vegas for a quickie divorce so I couldn’t have been that bad. Don’t you just hate when you can't even remember just how much fun you had.











Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Around the World in 128 Days - Arrival at Ft. Lauderdale and back home again

Image
  The Cruise is Over - May 11, 2024 - 5,904 Steps It was over months ago we walked out to this same spot shortly after we boarded the ship. Then it was a glorious and joyous afternoon, today it was a glorious but sad morning.  Instead of watching to see if could recognize our luggage being loaded aboard the Zuiderdam, it was watching to see if we could spot it being off loaded. The lineup of trucks bringing provisions for the next sailing that would be leaving a few hours. Trucks were lined up in the far distance awaiting their turn to unload. Port Everglades is a very busy cruise ship terminal. There was a staggering amount of food to be loaded onto the ship. A pallet of apples. A last look at the old home place that served us so well for the past mounts. Literally shutting the door on one of the most awesome adventures we have ever been on. But the fall of next year we will be opening the door on an another one. We patiently waited for our group, Gray 1, to be called. The lu...
Read more

Around the world in 128 Days - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Image
  Travel Day 126 - May 8, 2024 - 7,666 Steps Joe and Patrick our room stewards who have gone way beyond and above to not only keep our room in perfect conditions, but also have a great sense of humor. If it looks familiar it's because it the same one I recently read. I mentioned to Linda I thought she would enjoy reading it, and she did. You never know how things like this are going to turn out. It proved to be great from original songs, standup comedians, dancing, musical instruments. There's talent hidden amongst the ship's passengers. It took a while after Jose And Grace were transferred  from the Lido, but in the opposite corner of the Lido we found Lisna, who was every bit as awesome as they were. David's history presentation, proving once again that only a tiny bit of history is about names and dates like we were taught in high school. A cartoon from several centuries ago portraying the effects of consuming too much sugar on the King of England. And it is a slight...
Read more

Around the World in 128 Days - At Sea Day Next to Last Day of the Cruise

Image
  Travel Day 127 - May 9, 2024 - 5,904 Steps Gonna miss this view in a few days. With the cruise drawing ever closer to be over, Linda has certainly been glad of the many "Linda" sea days like today.. The laundry always comes back with one of these stickers on each article. Too bad it took until the last week to learn we could have pulled them off when putting the freshly laundered cloths away. All that scratchy itchy underwear!  Linda once again in the front row for Kim's interview. It was the bridge officers turn this morning. There is so much we learned about the operation of the ship from these sessions. David is ending his lectures with one today and tomorrow on Russia. Ivan set the tone for what Russia is even today. Enemies of the Russian ruler are simply killed. It's been that way for over 450 years. The last Tsar. And what came after the tsars was just as bad. It was little things like this which made the voyage so interesting. How one puts a survival suit on...
Read more