April 12th and 13th.
Leaving Bilbao we headed to Segovia, which was a small detour on our way to Madrid, the drive to Segovia was over 3 and half hours. We had read there was a Roman Aqueduct there, but didn't know much else, but when we arrived we were enchanted by its beauty. In 1985 the old city of Segovia and its Aqueduct were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The old city contains a multitude of historic buildings both civil and religious, including a large number of buildings of Jewish origin, notably within the old Jewish Quarter. Among the most important monuments in the city the Aqueduct of Segovia, located in Plaza del Azoguejo, which dates from the late 1st or early 2nd century! And it still delivers drinking water today, it consists of about 25,000 granite blocks held together without any mortar, and spans 818 meters with more than 170 arches, the highest being 29 metres high. It is claimed to be the most impressive Roman structure in Spain, and one of the most famous among the numerous aqueducts built by the Romans throughout their vast Empire! It was set on a stunning backdrop of snowy mountains too, and the heat was almost unbearable, it was the fist spell of very hot weather we had experienced on this trip, the location of Segovia means it is always dry and humid. (Segovia would be one of our favourite places of this trip!)
From stunning Segovia we continued our journey to Madrid which would take another hour or so, the traffic coming into the city was hectic and rather stressful. Shannon was driving but we were both on the look out for potential hazards, other cars were whizzing in and out of lanes, then the traffic was slow moving then would pick up pace and everyone seemed in a mad rush, we were very glad when we got out the other side of the city and our satnav was leading us towards our accommodation for the night, an Airbnb which is linked for you at £59 for the night. It was an apartment in a converted office building with free underground parking, and the lobby was big as was the studio apartment, the ceiling space was easily twice normal height, and the place was clean and spacious with an ideal garden outside (which we would later sit on in and enjoy a cold cerveza or dos)
We took a two minute walk to the nearest Metro station 'Suansez' and took the train into the centre to Gran Vïa station which was only £2 each, each way. The Metro is the quickest and easiest way to get around the city too. We didn't have any plans for Madrid so were happy just to wander around and see what there was to see. We wandered around the Palace gardens and around the busy streets and plazas (dodging the dog poo on the way, we seen so much of it during our trip we reckon there is no fines or laws in Spain). Anyway, then we found 'Topolini' an all you can eat buffet for €12 and we had more paella, along with lots of other foods and multiple deserts.
In the morning we packed up and left the lovely apartment, and before leaving the city we took a quick drive to Santiago Bernabéu Stadium home of the Real Madrid football club.
