So last night, we went out with Chris to a few bars. I think he was surprised when pretty much everyone from our group came--we were quite a group at over 20! First we went to a bar with a bunch of outdoor tables, like many in Segovia called Ven Ven. He insisted we try calimocho, so we split one between every two people. Calimocho is 1/2 red wine, 1/2 coke. I tried it, and even drank several times after being told by others that it grows on you. Yeah, it's totally gross. But, now I've tried *the* Spanish drink and won't have to again!! After that, Chris asked who would like to try some absinthe shots. About half the group agreed (not me!), and he brought out these bright purple shots. It smelled strongly of licorice, so I'm glad I passed.
After Ven Ven, we went to this really neat bar called Metrópolis. It has this upper loft that is really neat, and we hung out there. I initially wanted a strawberry daquiri, since I'm a super picky drinker. One of the other profs with us, Bob, laughed when I asked if they would have it here, and he promised to ask the bartender for me. Turns out they don't, so then Bob tried to negotiate an appropriate substitute. I think daquiri must've sounded a lot like Tanqueray, cuz that's what I got, paried with some fruit drink and topped with a bitty strawberry. I took it to the loft and tried it. It was really strong and so very disgusting. I took a second sip trying to convince myself it wasn't that bad and failed. So, I tried one of the other girls' drink because she said it tasted like kool-aid and it was delish! Eristoff Black and Sprite is what I ordered the second time I returned to the bar. I'm still not sure if it only tasted so good because I'd had such yucky drinks prior, but I enjoyed it. I started the night with a headache, and around 1am it got too much, so I left. Was a good night though, and the group was really fun :D
Today, I slept in quite a bit...I guess I don't party well. After siesta, Sarah and I explored more of Segovia and ventured in the opposite direction. It was kind of funny, because we stayed along the major road of Segovia, and along one side were a bunch of apartments, like usual. And then if you went to the opposite side of those buildings, the city just ended! I took a picture of what looked sort of like a mesa...we weren't quite sure how to describe it. She thought it was sort of like the sand/gravel mines they have in Michigan. We somehow ended up back at the aquaduct, and found an ice cream place where they sold smoothies, just what the dry walk called for! It claimed to be strawberry, but they totally used raspberry sorbet...was super tasty though. We had some time before church started, so we went up to this terrace by the aquaduct to watch a performance/demonstration by a martial arts school (I think). It was pretty cool! They performed to music, and at first it was hard to tell what they were doing, because it was more like dancing and the music was slow. As it went on, the music sped up and I realized it was some form of martial arts! It was pretty cool. Is a very fancy kind of martial arts, with lots of spinning and kicking and cartwheels. After watching for 20 minutes or so, we walked back towards the church. We stumbled upon a really cute park and stayed there for another 30 or so, chatting by the fountain. Which, I've noticed, are much less impressive than in the US. We speculated that because water is much more precious here, they display it more carefully. No getting drenched by a fountain should the wind suddenly pick up!
Finally, it was about time for church, so we walked over to la Iglesia de Santo Tomás. It was...an experience. Quite unlike I was used to. The sound in the place was actually worse than St. Gabriel's, so I barely heard anything, much less understood. Luckily I know the progression of the Mass, otherwise I would've been completely lost!! There were no instruments, and the music was all pretty short. In fact, the whole Mass took about 35 minutes, maybe. It was quite strange, because there was a distinct lack of everyone sitting and everyone standing at the same time after the Liturgy. And they didn't hold hands for the Our Father, so I totally missed it :( I think I need to learn some of the prayers and creeds and such in Spanish before I go again next week. Sarah and I are thinking of going to the cathedral next week!
After I returned, Julia and I had dinner minus the boys for the first time. I've realized that dinner is much less of an affair than lunch, and there is less food. Is still tasty though, and Julia picked out the spines (itty bitty bones) from the fish for me :D I think she said it was called gallo, and it tasted just like fish sticks, but without the questionable breading and much more tender. I found out that it does in fact rain in Segovia, and usually comes in the form of storms :D Sarah and I were wondering where all the outdoor cafes put their tables and chairs, but Julia just said they stuff them inside.
Pictures
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