Flashback

Roberta X found Wookie Hole when doing a bit of surfing on Roman construction during the days of empire. That caused me to flashback on one of the most remarkable things I saw in Europe. About an hour and a half out of Madrid was the medieval town of Segovia. The attraction was Meson Candido, a legendary restaurant specializing in roast suckling pig and roast baby lamb. What more does one need to trigger a Sunday afternoon excursion?

The Meson was right there at the corner, under the two thousand year old aqueduct. The chubby owner had just pulled up in a Citroen 2CV wagon filled with small wooden crates containing the stars of the days dinner, a dozen baby piglets destined for the oven. Fortunately their demise had already been secured so there was no opportunity to establish an emotional attachment.

They did not die in vain. The meal was incredible, the tinto was tolerable and the post-prandial flan was a delight.



After the repast we drove to the top of the hill to work off some of the calories and toured the castle. It was the model supposedly for the Disneyland fantasy edifice but it was real world. Within there were displays of Spanish armor and you could not help but be amazed at the tiny stature of the warriors who wore such gear into battle. Most were in the range of five feet tall.

A narrow winding stairway within one of the turrets took you to the top of the ramparts where you could overlook the whole town but always the gaze was back to the aqueduct.

Before leaving we stopped at a cafe in the plaza outside the cathedral for a cold drink and a bit of people-watching during the Sunday afternoon strolling. The cathedral exterior was built to impress and the musty interior reflected six hundred years or more of worship and effort in the dozens of chapels and altars festooned with medieval craftsmanship.



The weekend was the bi-centennial of the Declaration of American Independence. I could not help but ponder what new-comers we were to the world stage.