I knew that one purpose of this trip was relationship building between colleagues Chris and Nicolás. These off-work friendships holds great importance in the Spanish business community. But as we settled in for the one-hour drive North to Segovia, I realized that Nicolás would also become a good friend who would have a huge and happy impact on our new life.
Segovia is best known for an intact and stunningly intact aqueduct, a roman construction built about 2000 years ago. We spent a good amount of time standing underneath the structure, looking up, and wondering "how"? How do 25,000 granite blocks, spanning almost 3000 feet, including 170 arches, hold together without mortar?
We spent almost two hours wandering with Nicolas through narrow alleyways, climbing up and down staircases, and marveling over each vista and architectural wonder. There is a gothic cathedral and a royal palace in Segovia that both deserve a posting of their own. But, what impressed me the most on Saturday was .... lunch.
Nicolas drove us out of the city centre to his favorite restaurant. Chris and I were surely the only non-Spaniards in the building. This will forever be one of my favorite meals in Spain at a place we would never have found on our own. We ordered the standard starter: small beers to go with our plate of chorizo and bread. The waiter described our lunch options, since there were no menus in evidence. Nicolas scribbled notes on the paper tablecloth to help explain what we were about to eat. By the end, we had scribbled words in Spanish and English, drawn sketches of ungulates, and made schematic drawings of the distilling process that produced our post-lunch liqueur. The website URLs and names of kings showed how far we wandered in our far-reaching discourse.
We devoured big bowls of sopa de castellana, carved up entire carcasses of canejos con ajo, and worked our way through baskets of papas and pan. We enjoyed a torta with whiskey, cafes cortadas, and a sweet, coffee-flavored brandy. We've eaten several lunches which were concluded when a bottle, or several bottles, of liquore appear on the table. Perfect small glasses are included. Nicolas described how this is a gift from the restaurant owner, as is the plate of chorizo and olives that usually show up when you arrive. He suggested that if we order the chorizo or olives that we'll be charged for them, that if they arrive on their own they are a gift, but that we should never really never expect them.
We'll see.
Segovia is best known for an intact and stunningly intact aqueduct, a roman construction built about 2000 years ago. We spent a good amount of time standing underneath the structure, looking up, and wondering "how"? How do 25,000 granite blocks, spanning almost 3000 feet, including 170 arches, hold together without mortar?We spent almost two hours wandering with Nicolas through narrow alleyways, climbing up and down staircases, and marveling over each vista and architectural wonder. There is a gothic cathedral and a royal palace in Segovia that both deserve a posting of their own. But, what impressed me the most on Saturday was .... lunch.
Nicolas drove us out of the city centre to his favorite restaurant. Chris and I were surely the only non-Spaniards in the building. This will forever be one of my favorite meals in Spain at a place we would never have found on our own. We ordered the standard starter: small beers to go with our plate of chorizo and bread. The waiter described our lunch options, since there were no menus in evidence. Nicolas scribbled notes on the paper tablecloth to help explain what we were about to eat. By the end, we had scribbled words in Spanish and English, drawn sketches of ungulates, and made schematic drawings of the distilling process that produced our post-lunch liqueur. The website URLs and names of kings showed how far we wandered in our far-reaching discourse.
We devoured big bowls of sopa de castellana, carved up entire carcasses of canejos con ajo, and worked our way through baskets of papas and pan. We enjoyed a torta with whiskey, cafes cortadas, and a sweet, coffee-flavored brandy. We've eaten several lunches which were concluded when a bottle, or several bottles, of liquore appear on the table. Perfect small glasses are included. Nicolas described how this is a gift from the restaurant owner, as is the plate of chorizo and olives that usually show up when you arrive. He suggested that if we order the chorizo or olives that we'll be charged for them, that if they arrive on their own they are a gift, but that we should never really never expect them. We'll see.
-- Amy
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