Madrid - Segovia - Day 1

It seems like a week ago, but as I write this it was 76 hours ago that I landed at the airport in Madrid. From there, I had to find my way to Segovia (roughly 80 km) and meet up with Rachel without a phone to use. This must be what it was like back in the 90s. First thing off the plane and to baggage claim to get my bag (it was small enough to carry-on but contained the dreaded > 5 oz liquids). Snagged my bag and headed to the "i" booth for information. There I was greeted by a nice gentleman who spoke English, as I was not quite ready to dust off the Spanish. He told me how to take the METRO from Madrid to Chamartín. That trek required a 1€ ticket and one free transfer. Luckily, I'm well used to this procedure from the L, so it was relatively simple to navigate the METRO to the station at Chamartín. That was where I was going to pick up a high-speed train that would take me to the suburb of Segovia - leaving at 2:20pm and costing 20€. When I arrived in Chamartín, I made my way up several escalators and to the correct area to purchase a ticket to Segovia. That gentleman behind the counter did NOT speak English. So I was forced to rely on my Spanish, which I will have you know is still quite adequate. Believe it or not I got the LAST ticket on the 2:20pm train. Had I not gotten a seat, I would have been waiting for more than 3 hours. Lucky occurrence #1.

Off the train in Segovia and many many hours into my journey, and able to see the finish line, I decided to just take a taxi the rest of the way into town. From Rachel's directions, I was able to give the taxi driver a destination in downtown Segovia - he did not speak English either. I arrived in the Plaza Mayor in Segovia, just past the aqueduct, and was safe and sound, including my luggage. Great news! Butttttttt, how am I going to find Rachel?

I walked over to a little restaurant that had plenty of outdoor seating, recognizing the familiar sound of plates banging together that I frequently heard in video chats with Rachel, I figured this was the place with the free WiFi. I was right. Lucky occurrence #2. I was able to steal an internet connection and grab a few emails. I left one for Rachel stating that I was in the Plaza and awaiting her arrival. It was damn hot by the way.

I made my way over to a table and sat down for a beer and a water. Great beer, and boy did I deserve it. For those keeping score at home, from the moment I left my apartment it went like this... Bus > Train (Blue Line) > Flight to Amsterdam > Customs > Flight to Madrid > Metro #1 > Metro #2 > High-speed train > Taxi > Promised Land/WiFi. That's one helluva long day of travel. I doubt another beer will ever taste so good again. But I digress.

Literally on my third sip of the beer and guess what I see? Rachel and her friend Emily just strolling on up. She had not even received my email, but was just out looking around for me. Lucky occurrence #3. Then it was off to see the living quarters...

It took about 99 steps from where I finished up my beer to get to Belen's (Rachel's Sra.) house. We went inside and I received the tour. You enter on the ground level with a sitting room and the only bathroom. The bathroom is less than 50 sq feet, I swear. There is a sink, shower, toilet, and bidet. I don't think anyone, including Belen uses that bidet. Those Europeans must just have a hard time letting go. They know TP is better, they just want to pretend they still use bidets. WELL YOU'RE NOT FOOLING ME, EUROPE!

The tour continues, but not before I scale 14 steps. There are 4 levels that is each separated by 14 steps. That's 42 steps from ground to top, or in my case, from bathroom to my bed for the night. Another interesting fact - each step you scale, the temperature rises by 0.5 degrees. That means that yes, it is 21 degrees warmer in the bed that was mine for the night, than on the ground floor. I took a siesta. I took a loooooong siesta. I woke up around 8:00 and made my way back down to the shower. I was nearly shivering by the time I made it down stair #42 - NOT. The shower itself? It's about the size of a slightly large welcome mat. The shower head? You must hold it. The hot water? Works well. The pressure? Not bad. The catch? You must choose between one or the other, as you will not receive both.

Showered up and ready for Rachel as she returned from afternoon drinks with friends. Rachel and I spent about an hour chatting with Belen and Emily, and then we left for dinner. Dinner was unsatisfying and I ordered some melange of fried foods - complete with 5 leaves of lettuce. Food is very bland in Spain. That night we hit some bars with her friends from her program and ended our night back at home around 3am. I was exhausted, as I drifted to sleep on top of the covers for the second time in my pseudo-sauna of a free bedroom, feet hanging off the "bed."

That covers Day 1.