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“What are you going to do in Segovia, see the Aqueducto?” 

“Yeah, that and maybe sample some typical food.”

“Cochonillo?”

“Yeah, probably” I answer, pretending I knew what it was… So went the first conversation I had with a friend while I killed time on the train from Madrid to Segovia. The second was similar:

“Why are you going to  Segovia, to look at the Aqueducto?” 

“Yeah, I like Roman ruins! That and eat something local…? (Spain is very regional, food and otherwise…)

“Oh yeah? Cochonillo?”

“Yeah” Without knowing what it was, it was obvious I had to try cochonillo.

Segovia is big enough that the station isn’t near anything of much touristic interest. The station’s environs offer even less for a tourist with some kind of exhaustion bearing mystery virus. With no sign of a tourist office, I decided to walk up a hill. At the crest I saw an old looking church and headed in that direction. It was the right decision. After about half an hour I’d passed the business end of town and entered a wide paved street with aqueduct glimpses. Nearly starving, I easily stumbled across a few cochonillo options and got straight onto eating. Cochonillo is suckling pig. And it’s just so yummy!

Lunch took about an hour, and cos the train from Madrid took 2.5 hours, I only had 40 minutes left to explore before having to head back. I later found out that there’s a fast train that only takes 30 minutes, too late, though, and probably too expensive. And the trip up to Segovia is really pleasant! With only 40 minutes, I didn’t really have to opportunity to discover if Segovia has more to offer than an old aqueduct and young pork, but I’d recommend anyone within the vicinity of Madrid take the trip, fast train or slow train…

I’ve just been on a mini break to Madrid for the weekend and did a side trip to Toledo. On my day of departure, I awoke with a savagely sore throat, swollen glands, and complete and utter exhaustion. Dragging myself out of bed in a attempt not to miss my flight, I left the uncomfortable humidity of Barcelona (26 degrees) and landed in the searing, but dry heat of Madrid (38 degrees). I stayed at a friend’s house in Madrid, but had to wait 4 hours to meet them, so with my baggage and my flu I traipsed around Madrid. Thankfully I’d been there before or I’d have felt ripped off as I went through the touristic motions. Straight to bed that night, then the next day Toledo.

I felt exactly the same as on the day of departure, and had been warned that it was even hotter in Toledo than in Madrid. There were two bus options to Toledo, the direct one which left 35 minutes after my arrival at the bus station, or the bus that toured via the pueblos (towns), 5 minutes wait. I chose the latter, shorter wait. Frustrating. There is a huge chasm in the appearance of the nice and the not so attractive towns of Spain, and when you’re taking an all stops bus, you get the lot. And in summer, it’s broken up by fields in a dazzling array of… brown. Despite good air-conditioning on the bus, the view just made me hot. If you’re going to do a day trip to Toledo from Madrid, chose the direct run down the autopista.

Having only consumed a coffee and various pills that morning, I opted for lunch as a first stop. I do love spanish food. It’s often very simple, but more often than not, yummy. But I do think they can get very liberal with their nomenclature. For example, lunch started with a salad. Three slices of tomato with some (admittedly scrumptious ibérico) ham on top does not qualify as a salad, does it? Still, it was delicious. The ‘salad’ I had the next day comprised (iceberg!) lettuce, some onion and olive oil. Oh, and a mountain of salt for some reason? They also call creme caramel “flan,” I still occasionally expect desert to come out with fruit on top, but I like it all the same…

Being ill, I was pretty much a touristic zombie. Without a map. To be honest, I don’t really know why I went to Toledo in the first place. My knowledge of it is simply from the expression: Holy Toledo! I was expecting a church. Eventually found it, but I don’t really enjoy paying 10 euros to enter a church, they all harbour a lot of similarities. So I sought out some other lesser known attractions. St Marcos was listed, and I always love seeing what my patron saint has been up to. Nothing much as it turns out, as the church was being refurbished…

I then spent a LOT of time seeking out the ancient roman baths. I would have passed the entrance about 5 times before realising that the non-descript door in their place on the map (that I had since obtained) must have been the entry. They baths were underground and, after 2000+ years were a bit worse for wear, and the remnants totalled about 25 square metres. Still it’s always a triumph to find an obscure attraction.

… And that was that, really. Took the fast bus back to Madrid, and collapsed in a heap.