A Few Excursions

We've ventured out into Madrid's surroundings a few times. The extensive public transportation system here makes such excursions quite easy and we're hoping to keep it up! There's usually both bus and train options, with trains being faster and more expensive.

Segovia

Segovia's most iconic landmark is this Roman aqueduct

Featuring an imposing Roman aqueduct, a castle, and a cathedral, Segovia is a classic day trip from Madrid. What your average tourist (or Madrileño, for that matter) doesn't know, is that Segovia is also home to a competitively-priced and highly-recommended tax accounting firm. As new residents, we were in the market for such services. Our Spanish teacher here recommended these tax people to us, saying that they handle all of her business matters via email, so the distance doesn't matter much.

We got several views from the meadows surrounding the castle

When we reached out, the tax accountants actually requested an in-person appointment, since taxes in Spain can be quite complicated, and they wanted to ensure we covered everything in detail. We could've bailed and gone with a local Madrileño firm, but thought it sounded like a fun adventure. So, we made a day of it and headed to Segovia for both tourism and taxes.

The view upon entering downtown from the bus terminal

Mudejar architecture built by the arabs who remained in Spain after the reconquista?

The main cathedral at the plaza downtown

To get there, we took the subway to the intercambiador de Moncloa, an impressive multistory bus station. Much like an airport, buses park at "terminals" and tv screens show gates and departures. For most routes you can pay while boarding, but since Segovia is such a popular destination, you must get your ticket ahead of time at a separate counter. We really appreciate how buses tend to leave often enough that it's usually not necessary to arrive on time for a specific one. The ride is just about an hour.

Segovia is also known for these recessed patterns that decorate the walls of buildings.

The old jail still has bars on the windows but now it houses a community space with pieces of art.

Karen admires the texture of the local school of design, and Matt poses with a classic old-timey street.

In town, we enjoyed sampling a local dessert called ponche segoviano with a view of the aqueduct. A ponche segoviano with a view. This one was... maybe too sweet. The defining feature is crystalline sugar on top that is branded with a criss-cross pattern of burnt, caramelized sugar using a hot iron. We also took in impressive views of the castle.

The next time we return, we'd like to check out the museum of modern art and a royal palace outside of the city center called La Granja, which is anything but a mere farm.

The interior of the Cathedral

El Escorial

A life-size nativity scene dominates downtown El Escorial around Christmas time, including a procession of exotic animals accompanying the three wise men.

This donkey is having a lot of trouble climbing the stairs.

Most "large" nativity scenes look like this one (from Granada, we think?). It has a footprint of several square meters but the figures are still action figure-sized. The El Escorial scene is uniquely large.

El Escorial is known as an upscale town, also located just about an hour outside of Madrid. It's home to a monastery that once held the title of "largest building in Europe," occupying 8 acres. It also houses the tombs of all Spanish royalty since Ferdinand and Isabella (although those two are buried in Granada), which are open to the public for viewing. We specifically went to El Escorial to check out a life-size Belén (nativity scene) that they set up for the Christmas holiday. It's not particularly well done, but it was fun to pass through. We also know a Chilean artist who lives in El Escorial. He, in turn, has introduced us to even more Chileans who are turning into friends. There were seven of us total (five Chileans plus us) and he graciously showed us around town and had us over for dinner after the touristy stops.

The outside of the monastery

At the house of our friend the Chilean artist, we were amazed and delighted to hear about his experiences living in downtown Madrid during the covid lockdown. He and his husband lived in a typical Spanish apartment situation where they and all of their neighbors had windows facing a shared internal courtyard. As the lockdown dragged on, the neighbors all began to organize evening happy hours, and then, later, Eurovision-style singing and dance competitions, all from their various windows. They set up pulleys and ran lines from window to window so they could share treats. One couple even got married, officiated by a neighbor who could technically perform marriages due to being a train conductor (they apparently have that ability just like ship captains).

We thought this was simply a large monastery.

It was actually one of three or four official residences of the royal family.

There is an entire basilica inside, along with the monastery and royal palace. All of these are integrated- for example, the king and queen have bedrooms with windows that open into the chapel, so they could attend services from bed during painful gout flares.

One surprising highlight of the day was stopping into a bar and enjoying a steaming cup of homemade caldo or broth. During winter months, it's a personal favorite that gives the typical teas, coffees, and alcoholic drinks a run for their money. Since this excursion, we've noticed caldo on the menu at various other bars in Madrid and given the cold weather, they've been quite tempting.

This hall contains a massive mural depicting several famous battles.

A tromp-l'oeil makes the mural appear to be a tapestry

We thought we'd pass through the monastery "quickly," but it's so big we ended up spending two hours there... We think it would easily take 3-4 hours if you went at a more leisurely pace. Definitely worth a return visit.

The tombs of all Spanish monarchs and their families since Isabel and Ferdinand are found here

The more important the person (or the closer they are to the line of succession), the more intricate their tomb

Alcalá de Henares

Alcalá de Henares is a less popular tourist attraction but was recommended by a family friend here. We took Cercanías (the transportation system connecting Madrid radially to it's closer surroundings) to get there. Alcalá de Henares is a famous university town and also home to Miguel Cervantes, the auther of Don Quixote. Here are some fun facts we learned on our university tour:

- The university had it's own laws and justice, separate from the rest of the city. They even had a jail for students who committed crimes such as missing class or skipping homework.

- While most students paid to attend the university, there was a competitive, merit-based scholarship system. Students who showed promise could attend for free and received the most coveted housing, with easy access to faculty mentors. The terms of this program were strict, including absolutely no dating. Even being seen lingering too long in the presence of a woman could be enough to get expelled.

- The university was called the Universidad Complutense, due to the town's old Roman name of Complutum. However, when the university closed down, the Universidad Complutense moved to Madrid, where it still exists today. The university in Alcalá de Henares is active again, now under the name Universidad de Alcalá. When they tried to use the name Universidad Complutense, the school in Madrid successfully sued them for the name.

We are sorry we didn't really take pictures on this outing :(

Fresnedillas

The most esoteric day trip has undoubtedly been to Fresnedillas. Karen went as part of a special Repair Cafe event held there. She carpooled with the repairers to halve the two hours it would have taken to travel by bus. Fresnedillas was also home to a NASA base that operated during the Apollo missions, including the first landing on the moon! To commemorate this, they boast a modest museum of space artifacts and paraphernalia which Karen visited.

Downtown Fresnedillas has a lot of charm and character in large part due to a recent campaign to fill empty doors and walls with colorful murals. Some of them are space-themed. After the repair event, she enjoyed the murals while strolling around downtown.