Rich and I took a LONG day trip to two cities near Madrid today by motor coach. The first city we visited was Avila. This is a medieval city built in the 10th century, completely walled with 87 towers and just too cool for words. Again, a lot of Arabic influence in the construction. I just can't get over how they built these monstrous things without the tools we have today. We had a photo stop and then got a guided tour of two different cathedrals. Both were very ornate, as is the custom over here. We got back on the bus and were driven to Segovia. This city seemed larger and more modern than Avila, but the guide said it wasn't so. We got to see the aqueduct that was built by the Romans, their ingenuity was amazing!! The stones are just placed -- no mortar is holding them together. Only gravity. My pictures won't do it justice, but maybe you can get a feel for what it looks like and how enormous it is. We were given free time, so we stopped at a cafe and had some authentic Spanish dishes. One was a bean stew, the beans were HUGE and really tasty! The other was a roasted pig, which apparently Segovia is famous for. It was good as well and we enjoyed not having pizza or a ham sandwich again. :)) We met up with our guide again and she gave us a tour of yet another cathedral. Rich and I were joking with her that if it weren't for all the churches over here, the guides would be out of business. After the cathedral, we went to see a castle that was built in the 1500's. Not as opulent as what I've seen before, but definitely unique with all the shining armor. Back on the bus for the drive back to Madrid. We were really tired but still had to navigate our way back on the subway and train--at rush hour no less. Ugh. We got home and it had been a 12 hour day--fun but exhausting!!