Three Days in Segovia
Day One:
Madrid to Segovia and Getting Settled In Tuesday 21 May 2013
The trip report for Monday, 20 May 2013 had a serious omission which here is corrected.
When planning our trip to Spain one of the things I was looking forward to was more of Ana and Jeff's cooking. Sunday's tuna empanaditas and fried padron peppers got us off to a good start and Monday's dinner was going to be a tough act to follow in my book.
For Monday's dinner Ana had prepared a new dish called "Winter Gazpacho", a warm version of the classic summer soup which is served cold.
Following this delicious soup was a plate full of one of my favorites - Morcilla. This is sometimes referred to as blood sausage. Jeff knew of my fondness for this tasty stuff so I am sure having it for dinner was no accident.
In preparing for the trip I sent Jeff dozens of emails (poor guy!) asking for info on this or that. One of those was a request for more info about Morcilla. Below is what Jeff sent me:
There are several Spanish sausages in the kitchen, most of them traditionally formed part of the staple diet of the lower classes. These generally include product family tradition the pig slaughter. Today they are served in tapas or snacks. Some varieties of Spanish sausages are:
Morcilla de Burgos - This is one of the best known, which is made with blood and lard, rice, paprika, salt and onion and some more spice to taste. It pork stuffed into casings or in dry cow intestine, finer. One of the most popular varieties is the black pudding Aranda, traditionally used as spices cumin, black pepper and cinnamon point.
Aragón Sausage - blood and is made with lard, rice, aniseed, pine nuts, hazelnuts, paprika, salt, onions, and some other spices by region. It pork stuffed into casings.
Asturias Sausage - There are local varieties, which differ in their proportion of onions, fat and blood, but it is generally characterized by being smoked, what comes to give you a dry and wrinkled appearance. The Asturian morcilla is part of "compango" which is the name given to the set of meat with which it is made and is accompanied by the stew. There is a variety-the "moscancia" - which is made with beef fat and is consumed fresh. In the Valley Miners often accompanies chickpea stew, which provides a flavor and incomparable smoothness. Other varieties are the "pantrucu" East of Asturias and the "emberzao".
Leon Black Pudding - It consists of blood, pork fat, gardener and especially large amounts of onion. It is usually eaten fresh, fried, first empty the gut and pour into the pan. Has never rice. Popularly known as murciella (the use of Leon). In some areas of northern León (Ventosilla of Tertia) let stand one day the chopped onion in a wicker basket alternating layers of bread loaf and onion, the next day it happens to a trough and mixed with blood pork, paprika, crushed garlic, salt and crushed pork daub. Is stuffed into casings and cook for 20 minutes one night leaving them cool and then hang them on the wood stove to make some smoke with oak or beech wood preferably. In Castilla y León blood sausages are cured as Guijuelo (Salamanca) and Resume (Zamora), bacon and bread crumbs or flour or Farinon famously Farinato of Ciudad Rodrigo, potato are called "patacu" and even These can be sweet pumpkin, quince or mazana known as La Carbayeda fillogas Zamorana and El Bierzo.
Villada Sausage: It is made with slow braised onions and handmade. Unlike the rest of sausages casing does not get in, but it is sold in glass jars with two year shelf life. For consumption only need to heat the contents of the jar. Contains a low fat content (3%). Its texture is creamy and pleasant taste and homogeneous.
Matachana Sausage: You eat outside the gut, spread on bread. It is a variety of sausage Leon.
Pudding of Palencia: An onion sausage handmade process with long, slow and complex.
Valladolid Sausage: Made with rice (41%), butter (29%), onions (20%) and blood (10%). Season with salt, pepper, oregano and, optionally, pepper and cloves. Everything is mixed and stuffed into natural casing pork or beef. It is cooked to 80-90 º C in open kettle until the optimum point. Immediately cooled in water. Actually has three varieties - fresh blood sausage, blood sausage with pine nuts and black pudding Valladolid tanganillo.
Asturian Sausage: Variety regular part of the Asturian bean stew compango. Well suited for cooked or stews.Source: WikiPedia
I cannot tell you exactly what type of Morcillo Ana served up because I did not ask. I wish I had now!
Unlike me, Betsy is a bit more sensitive to unusual food, especially when the ingredients contain things like blood, internal organs, ears, snouts, etc. So she had only a small portion - enough to get a taste. And that satisfied her curiosity.
Ok. Another fine meal and off to bed, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.
Some background:
In 2010 I had the good fortune to spend 10 days in Segovia. At that time Jeff, Ana and Ani were living in Segovia but were thinking about moving to Madrid since they both had to commute there daily. I planned my visit to Segovia during a time when Jeff had a break from teaching. This meant he and I and often times baby Ani would walk the streets of Segovia as part of our daily routine.
The core of old Segovia is a medieval walled city and quite small in area. This makes it very easy to get around on foot. And with prominent landmarks like the Alcázar, the Aqueduct and the Cathedral, it is impossible to get lost. Although it is easy for a newbie to get turned around a bit on the narrow winding streets which zig and zag all over the old part of the city.
After that trip in 2010 when I spent 10 days of walking the streets I was feeling very much at home and felt certain I could show Betsy around Segovia just as Jeff and Ana had shown me around. Of course, I would not be the fountain of knowledge they were. But we had guide books for that.
So on Monday, our first day in Madrid, while at the Príncipe Pío (PP) transportation center Jeff showed us how to use the ticket kiosk. Fortunately he was there to help us as the machine refused my credit card and Jeff ended up using his. Here, where the Madrid Metro and buses come in and out constantly, it is easy for two country bumpkins to get turned around and "lost". And so we did.
Ok, back to Tuesday morning and our planned departure for Segovia:
After walking from Jeff and Ana's place in Barrio bel Pillar to the Metro Station Plaza Castilla we caught the subway to Metro Station Príncipe Pío. Once there we started heading to the bus platform as Jeff has shown us. Ha! How easily we were confused. By now, just 24 hours later, we were in a state of confusion as to what was where and how to go where to do what. Sound confusing? You bet! To us the PP seemed like a small town. Numerous escalators and elevators going up and down 1, 2 and 3 levels. Hallways here and hallways there. An exit here, an exit there! GAWD! And no signs in English!
After running around frantically and watching the time tick away, we finally gave up on finding the bus platform and starting asking people. Of course, they could not understand us and we could not understand them. Finally, one fellow got the drift and pointed us to the coffee shop. He knew the woman there spoke English and she unhesitatingly gave us directions on how to get to the bus platform which required exiting the building, crossing a platform and reentering on the left and going down the escalator. Which we did. At last! we saw the buses.
Ah, but it couldn't be that easy could it? Nope... there was not one bus to be see anywhere for Segovia. All of the buses appeared to be for local destinations. Great.
Meanwhile - tick, tick, tick.... Soon it will be time to board and we still have no idea where the hello our bus is! Once again, with pleading and frantic looks, we asked person after person about the bus to Segovia. Nobody seemed to know or more likely they had no idea what the hell were we talking about.
Finally, one fellow who was waiting with a small boy for a local bus showed a glimmer of hope. He motioned to the boy to wait and then he to began running up and down the platform with us asking person after person about the bus to Segovia.
Eventually he spotted a fellow in a blue uniform, got his attention and spoke to him.
He looked at us and said: "Tickets?". We handed him our tickets and he said "Upstairs". Upstairs!? WTF?
It was all very simple really. We were exactly where we needed to be except we had gone down one level too many to a platform we did not even know existed. I turned and thanked our rescuer profusely. He patted me on the shoulder, beamed broadly, turned and was gone. As were Betsy and I.
By the time we got to the correct platform we had 10 minutes to spare and the queue was already down the hall. But not to worry now. Whew!
We got seats near the front of the bus and in no time were out of Madrid and getting some great views of the surrounding mountains. The late snows were keeping all the summits white and would help to ensure full reservoirs.
"The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain!" This one line from the musical "My Fair Lady" must be known by more people than any other catchy lyric. And I think it has convinced a lot of people Spain is flat. And indeed it is - except where there are mountains. And mountains Spain does have! Beautiful mountains of snow and pines and oaks.
And the bus route would climb and snake its way right up, between and over the two nearest ranges: The Gredos and Guadarrama Mountains. Nice...
We had views of the mountains for most of the way and the ride was quite pleasant. However, it would have been more pleasant if the two American women in the seats in front of us would have spoken in a tone which was meant just for them, not for the entire bus. I have to say after over an hour of hearing about their cats, kids and "to die for" cooking I was about ready to scream. Thank god neither of them were dog worshippers!
The one women went on at length about her degrees and education. This apparently did not make her smart. When her companion mentioned she was going to Yosemite National Park she had no clue where this world famous place is. And it was not that she didn't know what part of California Yosemite is in. She had no idea what state it was in! So much for "higher education"...
On the west side of the bus we could see the cross at Valle de los Caídos (The Valley of the Fallen).
The Valle de los Caídos ("Valley of the Fallen") is a Catholic basilica and a monumental memorial in the municipality of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, erected at Cuelgamuros Valley in the Sierra de Guadarrama, near Madrid, conceived by Spanish dictator Francisco Franco to honor and bury those who fell during the Spanish Civil War.
It was also claimed by Franco that the monument was meant to be a "national act of atonement" and reconciliation. As a surviving artifact of Franco's rule, the monument and its Catholic basilica remain controversial, particularly because 10% of the construction workforce were convicts, some of them Popular Front political prisoners.Source: WikiPedia
We were not the only ones enjoying the mountain views. There were quite a few people with their cameras and cell phones out. But trying to get a decent photo from a moving bus is not easy.
At about 10:15 the bus rolled into the station right on schedule. I knew this bus station well - it was on the street level of the very same building where Jeff and Ana had lived when I stayed with them. This was quite handy and it meant I knew exactly where I was and also how to get to the our hotel with no problems.
Early on in the planning of this trip Jeff and I both scoured the web for places where we could stay. After a bit of shopping we decided the Hotel La Casa Mudéjar would work out well for Betsy and me. It was within our price range, was right next to the Plaza Mayor and right on the main pedestrian thoroughfare which led to many of the interesting monuments, including the famed Roman Aqueduct.
The entrance to the hotel could easily be missed, and we did on our first walk through.
When we arrived at our room I was surprised and delighted to see we had been given a room with a mountain view and private terrace. Jeff and I had originally talked about this, but when I saw the price I balked. However, Jeff called them later on and requested a room with a view if at all possible. And that's what we got and at the lower rate. Thanks, Jeff!
This photo was actually shot from inside the room and through the bedroom window.
We dropped our packs, aquainted ourselves with the room a bit and then headed out the door in search of some victuals.
We have not stayed in too many hotels which have marble steps through out. In fact, this was a first!
Fortunately the local Cañas y Tapas was only about a 15 minute walk from our digs.
We ordered Patatas Bravas and shared the plate.
These little potatoes are probably the most traditional tapas food in Spain. They can be found almost everywhere. I usually order a plate of patatas bravas when I’m out for tapas with friends because they’re cheap, they’re vegetarian (there’s usually at least one herbivore in the group), and in a country where most food is cool on the tongue, these little spuds, packed with hot pepper and vinegar, make your mouth zing.
Source: Kelly Crull
Nice combo!
When I visited the Cañas y Tapas here in Segovia in 2010 I took a photo of their menu board. It had over 90 items on it! Something changed since then. Now, the only menu I could find both here and at the Cañas y Tapas we visited in Madrid had about 15 items, along with the "Precio muy Especials" shown here. This was a big disappointment for me as I had planned to order some of the same dishes for Betsy which Jeff and I had ordered back then.
In fact, Jeff had taken the time and made the effort to translate the entire menu using the photo I sent him. Then Betsy transcribed the entire menu to an Excel file. I then formatted it in Word and produced a PDF.
But with the vast majority of the many items now not available, reading the many was just a cruel tease.
Here is the menu translation ala Jeff Bruner:
| Cañas y Tapas - Menu Translation | |
|---|---|
| Skillet of Broken Eggs - Sartenes de Huevos Rotos | |
| 1 | Traditional - Fried eggs w/french fries |
| Los de toda la vida (con huevos y patatas | |
| 2 | Pure Breed - Iberian shoulder ham |
| De pura raza (con paleta iberica de bellota) | |
| 3 | Spicy sausage and green pepper |
| Riojanos (con chistorra y pimiento verde) | |
| 4 | Iberian pork loin cooked in sherry w/peppers |
| Solomillo iberico al Pedro Ximenez y pimientos | |
| 5 | Chorizo and pancetta |
| "Duelos y quebrantos: (con chorizo y panceta) | |
| 6 | Goat cheese and raisins |
| Queso de cabra D.O. Ibores y pasas | |
| 7 | Shrimp and eels w/garlic sauce |
| Gambas y gulas al ajillo | |
| 8 | Grandma's free range eggs, potatoes w/garlic and onion, IB shoulder ham |
| "De la abuela" (con huevos de corral, patatas panadera y paleta iberica de bellota) | |
| 9 | Assorted skillets for 2 |
| Sartencitas variadas 2, 3 and 6 | |
| Toasts - Tostas | |
| 90 | Iberian shoulder ham w/tomato sauce |
| Paleta iberica de bellota con tomate untado | |
| 91 | Grilled Duck Pate' w/carmelized onion |
| Pate de pato a la plancha con cebolla caramelizoda | |
| 92 | Baked ham w/melted brie, tomato sauce and carmelized leeks |
| Lacon con queso brie fundido, tomate untado y puerro confitado | |
| 93 | Shrimp and eels with garlic sauce |
| Gambas y Gulas con alioli | |
| 94 | Grilled mushrooms w/shoulder ham and candied leeks |
| Setas a la plancha con paleta iberica de bellota y puerro confitado | |
| 95 | Smoked salmon w/eels in garlic sauce |
| Salmon ahumado con Gulas al ajillo | |
| 96 | Pork shoulder w/cheese and candied tomato |
| Presa iberica con queso D.O. idiazabal y tomate confitado | |
| 97 | Iberian pork loin w/melted brie, asparragus and carmelized onion |
| Solomillo iberico con queso brie fundido, esparragos trigueros y cebolla caramelizada | |
| Meats - Carnes | |
| 50 | Pork loin medallions in hunter's sauce |
| Medallones de solomillo iberico a la cazadora | |
| 51 | Pork shoulder w/Iberian shoulder ham - exquisite meat mixed w/IB ham |
| Presa iberica con Paleta Iberica de bellota | |
| 52 | Sirloin steak |
| Entrecol de Buey | |
| 53 | Pork loin medallions w/Manchego cheese |
| Medallones de solomillo iberico con queso D.O. manchego | |
| 54 | Lamb chops |
| Chuletillas de lechal | |
| Salads - Ensaladas | |
| 30 | From the land: lettuce w/ tuna, tomato, egg, onion and olives |
| Del pais (fondo de lechugas, ventresca en aceite, tomate, huevo, cebolla y aceitunas) | |
| 31 | From the sea: lettuce w/salmon, shrimp, walnuts, raisins and red sauce |
| Marinera (fondo de lechugas, salmon, gambas, nueces, pasasy salsa rosa) | |
| 32 | Chicken: lettuce w/chicken, tomato, cheese cubes, croutons and red sauce |
| De pollo (fondo de lechugas, pollo tomate, dados de queso, picatostes y salsa rosa) | |
| Our Wine Cellar - Nuestra Bodega | |
| Red Rioja | |
| Rose' Rosados | |
| White Blanco | |
| Sparkling Cava | |
| To Share - Para compartir | |
| 75 | Capea for 2 - an egg choice plus 51, 52 and 30 |
| Capea para 2- Racion de huevos rotos a elegir, medallones de sollomillo de cerdo iberico con p | |
| 76 | Capea for 4- an egg choice plus 53,82,83, ham croquettes or potatoes with spicy sauce |
| Capea para 4 - Racion de huevos rotos a elegir, racion de chopitos o calamares a la andaluza, racion de croquetas de jamon o patatas con salsa brava 54, 53, | |
| 55 | Grilled meats - recommended for 2 |
| Parilla de carne - 52, 53, chorizo parrilla, morcilla de burgos, pancetta, 37, y sarten de patatas fritas | |
| 89 | Assorted "fritura" - recommended for 2 |
| Fritura variada - 83, 84, 85 86 | |
| 98 | Platter of "toasts" - combine them as you like |
| Fiesta Mayor - de tostas - rebanadas de pan tostada, paleta iberica de bellota, lomo iberico, queso D.O.Manchego, salsas: tomate natural, tomate confitado, alioli y aceite de oliva. Icombinalas a fu gusto | |
| Servings - Raciones | |
| Iberian pork and cheese | |
| Ibericos y quesos | |
| 10 | Acorn-fed Iberian shoulder ham |
| Paleta iberica de bellota | |
| 13 | Assorted Iberian pork - shoulder ham, loin, chorizo |
| Surtido de ibericos - Paleta iberica de bellota, lomo iberico y chorizo iberico | |
| 17 | Assorted cheeses |
| Surtido de quesos -D.O. manchego, D.O. idiazabal, D.O. ibores | |
| 18 | Assorted Iberian pork and cheeses |
| Surtido de Ibericos y quesos - 13, 17 | |
| From the Garden | |
| De la huerta | |
| 34 | Breaded mushrooms w/Iberian shoulder and garlic sauce |
| Setas empanadas con paleta iberica de bellota y alioli | |
| 35 | Grilled mushrooms with garlic sauce |
| Setas a la plancha con alioli | |
| 36 | Grilled asparragus |
| Esparragos triguesos a la plancha | |
| 37 | Padron peppers |
| Pimientos de padron | |
| 38 | Assorted grilled vegetables- asparragus, eggplant, zucchini, tomato, green pepper, onion |
| Surtido de verduras a la plancha - exparrogos, berenjena, calabacin, tomate, pimiento verde y cebolla | |
| 39 | Baby beans w/ Iberian shoulder ham and egg |
| Habitas con paleta iberica de bellota y huevo | |
| 40 | Salmorejo (similar to Gazpacho, a cold tomato soup --made with garlic and day-old bread |
| (as a thickener)-- usually eaten with Iberian or Serrano ham and hard-boiled egg) | |
| Salmorejo cordobes | |
| 41 | Gazpacho |
| Gazpacho andaluz con Guarnicion - producto de temporada | |
| From the village | |
| Del pueblo | |
| 59 | Fried goat cheese |
| Queso rulo de cabra frito | |
| 60 | Burgos-style morcilla (Blood sausage with rice) |
| Morcilla de burgos | |
| 61 | Baked ham w/potatoes |
| Lacon con patatas | |
| 62 | Boiled potatoes w/spicy sauce or garlic sauce |
| Patatas con salsa brava o alioli | |
| 65 | Spanish tortilla |
| Tortilla espanola | |
| 66 | Croquettes - ham, cod, Cabrales cheese, mushroom or mixed |
| Croquetas: jamon, piquillo con bacalao, cabrales, boletus o mixtas | |
| From the port | |
| Del puerto | |
| 79 | Grilled octopus w/garlic sauce |
| Pulpo plancha al ajilio | |
| 80 | Galician-style octopus |
| Pulpo a la Gallega | |
| 81 | Grilled cuttlefish |
| Sepia a la plancha | |
| 82 | Baby squid |
| Chopitos | |
| 83 | Battered squid |
| Calamares a la andaluza | |
| 84 | Rock salmon in adobo sauce |
| Cazon en adoba "bienmesabe" | |
| 85 | Cod "pavia" fillets w/special seasoning |
| Pavia de bacalao - lomos de bacalao con un rebozado especial | |
| 86 | Prawn "omelettes" |
| Tortillitas de camerones | |
| 87 | Grilled tuna "loin" |
| Solomillos de atun a la plancha | |
| 88 | Bread and breadsticks |
| Pan y picos | |
| 44 | Bread w/crushed tomato |
| Paamb tomaquet (par con tomate) | |
| All taxes included in prices | |
| Iva/icic incluidos | |
| 10% surcharge for terrace service | |
| Incremento 10% en precios de terraza | |
| To place your order, use the chalkboard | |
| Para realizar tu pedido, utiliza la pizarra de comanda |
I never mentioned this change in the menu to Jeff. Maybe he can shed further light on it.
Betsy decided to order the "Presa iberica con queso D.O. idiazabal y tomate confitado" - Iberian pork loin w/melted brie, asparragus and carmelized onion.
Rather fuzzy shots of a very tasty snack.
After leaving the CyT we stopped at the Eroski Supermercado for some beer, snacks and milk for Betsy's coffee. The first time I saw the name "Eroski" I wondered about it's derivation. Here's the scoop according to good old WikiPedia:
Eroski: The name is a contraction of the words in Basque "erosive" (buy) and "toki" (place), translatable as "the place to shop".
On our way back to the hotel we stopped for this photo op. It the mirador de canaleja overlook on Calle Real which is the pedestrianised street that joins the Plaza del Azoguejo (the Aqueduct Plaza) to the Plaza Mayor (the main square). Those are the Guadarrama Mountains. The shot was taken just a short distance away from La Casa Mudéjar. The area is used by two adjacent restaurants. But with the cool damp weather on this day I suspect most folks will be dining inside.
We stopped at the room just long enough to drop our supplies and take a few pics from our terrace. I snapped this in the nick of time.
This Google maps image shows the location of the shot above. An interesting and new perspective for me.
Looking down on the "street" below our terrace we saw this group which was part of a led tour. We saw several such groups while we stayed here.
The red awning is for the La Casa Mudéjar's taverna which we found out about a bit too late...
A short walk took us to the Puerta de San Andrés. When I visited in 2010 it was under reconstruction and enshrouded in construction cloth and scaffolding. The was the gateway to the old Jewish Quarter in Segovia where they had lived since the 1100s.
But, like other places, the Jews did not fare well here:
In 1469, Isabel, the sister of King Henry IV of Castile, married Ferdinand, the son of John II of Aragon. By 1479 they ruled Castile and Aragon together and strengthened the Spanish church by using the Inquisition to find those practicing Judaism.
On March 31, 1492 the Edict of Expulsion was issued when the Inquisition did not achieve its aims and the Spanish Jews given four months to sell their property and leave the country. The reason given was that all prior attempts to stop Christians from returning to their Jewish roots had failed. Expulsion was the only way to guarantee Jews would not influence Spanish Christians.Even though the root causes of expulsions between countries differed, the end result was the same. The rulers profited in the short run as debts were cancelled and property lost. Jewish merchants, officially or not, soon returned to England and France, where their financial contributions proved invaluable to the economy. In Spain, where the expulsion was for religious reasons, the Jews were not permitted to return.
Source: Viviane and Jack White (London)
The above quote from " Spain, the Jews, the Spanish Inquisition and After" makes fascinating reading.
Here is a bit more about the San Andrés gate and the Jews of Segovia.
The first documentary evidence of San Andrés gate dates from 1120, although its current aspect is the result of the works that were carried out at the end of the 15th or beginning of the 16th century.
It is not known for certain if these alterations were undertaken during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs or of the Emperor Charles V, though it is not accurate to describe them as royal works because, in Segovia, the renovation of the gates was the concern of the Counts of Chinchón, who were in charge of their maintenance and restoration, as well as of appointing their keepers.Source: www.turismodesegovia.com
The presence of Jews in Segovia dates back to the 11th century. They engaged primarily in commerce, tanning and textile manufacture, and the community was prosperous. Between the 13th and 15th centuries Segovia was also the birthplace or residence of many Jewish scholars.
Ironically, two of Segovia’s most prominent Jews held such important positions in the 15th century that it may be said that they influenced not only Spanish history, but the history of the world as well. Abraham Senior, advisor to the Queen, was instrumental in arranging the marriage between young Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, which resulted in the unification of the two kingdoms.
The other prominent Jew, Itshak Abarvanel, held a position equivalent to that of minister of the treasury and economic advisor to the kingdom.Source: © 2010 Roots of Sefarad
More interesting ( as well as shocking and depressing) reading on the Jews of Segovia:
The Jewish Encyclopedia
The Jewish Quarter of Segovia - tourism pamphlet
A walk around the Jewish Quarter of Segovia
We continued on our way down the hill, passing the statue of Alberto Candido, the King of Cochinillo.
Then it was on to the bakery which is near the bus terminal.
Here Betsy found something she thought she should try.
By now we were both getting hungry so we thought we would head back up to the hotel and have an early supper at Restaurante El Fogon Sefardi. On the way we stopped at the bar of Restaurante Duque. I remembered it from a visit Jeff and I had made on a morning stroll.
Since the bartender spoke no English I just said "Raciones aqui?" (food here?). He shook his head and pointed upstairs. Remembering the way to the restaurant, we went up the back steps and found a fellow sorting some menus. We inquired about dinner and were told they were now closed. Great.
Ok, back to the hotel restaurant, I guess. We arrived to find that restaurant closed as well. We enquired at the front desk as to when it would be open. 8:30. Whoops! I forgot - this is Spain where people have a second breakfast at noon, lunch at 2:30 and supper at 9:00. Bummer!
We asked if anything else would be open and were told no. We found out later the hotel tavern was open, but whether they were serving food or not we do not know. We made the decision to beat feet back down to Cañas y Tapas. We got there at 6:30 - just as the kitchen closed.
So it was back to the hotel room with beer and snacks as our dinner.
Here, Betsy trys out the local chorizo we had previously bought at Eroski. This and a few whiskey truffles did the trick for her.
While Betsy grazed and read, I took a few more snaps from the terrace. The early evening light was makin' things look pretty nice.
I came back inside and did some web work and when 8:30 rolled around I asked Betsy if she wanted to try Restaurante El Fogon Sefardi again. She agreed and we cleaned up and headed downstairs.
The place was deserted and still looked closed - it was the crack of 8:30 and they obviously weren't expecting anyone to show up this early!
We went in and sat down. Eventually someone came out with menus. It was now close to 9:00, our usual bed time. We were both tired and in no mood for a huge meal we would not really appreciate.
So we opted for a couple of their award winning tapas. These were worlds apart from what is served up at Cañas y Tapas.
Even though the menu had an English translation, it did not make a whole lot of sense to us. In other words, when we read the descriptions/ingredients of the tapas it did not conjure up an image of what we were going to be served. This made it a total surprise.
I asked Jeff for some help with the menu translation:
"You had the Filo (phyllo?) "sansatico" stuffed with bird ragout, prunes and almonds under a pomegranate and pine nut sauce."
"Betsy had the eggplant mille-feuille with lamb curry and garden vegetables."
Not what she expected! Her expression seems to say: "WTF...?" They were almost like dessert items, sweet and rich. Very different for us.
So, today we learned a lesson about eating while in Spain. One I should have learned previously. Oh, well... tomorrow is another day.
Worn out from two busy days, we trudged back to our room and hit the sack.
Stay tuned as we explore more of Segovia on the morrow.