Day 5

Another wonderful day en España! We started the day off at the monastery of San Lorenzo at Escorial, built in the 16th century during the reign of Felipe II. The architecture was stunning and Jason Roodman even claimed to see a ghost. We were guided through the tombs of many royal tombs and were fortunate to visit a library containing ancient texts. Following this excursion, we had a lovely lunch and then departed to Segovia. There we toured the castle, known as the Alcalzar, where Christopher Columbus received permission to travel to the New World. We climbed to the top of the castle's tower ("el torre") which left most of us out of breath. It was worth it for the glorious view. Following the Alcalzar, we walked the streets of Segovia, entered a cathedral or two, and tried the local delicacy known as Ponche, which can be described as a rich, lemon-infused layered pastry/cake. After our brief snack, we visited the Aqueduct and marveled at the quality of the ancient architecture. We concluded the day back in Madrid with a lovely meal at the Museo de Jamón.

Hasta Luego!