I paid the bill for Sunday's dinner before breakfast to save time, as we were to leave at 9 & loaded at 0850. This went smoothly except for one airhead who forgot her hat just as we started, so her husband ran back for it. We drove along the boring plain to Avila. Fiona gave a potted Spanish history & I added a couple of bits connected with my family, which went down well. We stopped for coffee opposite Avila & took photos before the coffee but it was difficult, as into the Sun.

The walled city of Avila

West end of Avila's walls

Then, we went on to Segovia. It was rocket science getting into the town on the road system but stopped by the great Roman aqueduct & were unloaded. The coach disappeared while we went to the tourist office for maps & pees, as Fiona said the loos were clean. They were. Then, we walked up the slope to the Plaza Major, not an edifice like Salamanca's but with the wedding cake cathedral opposite.

Segovia's Roman aqueduct

Plaza Major

Segovia Cathedral

We resisted the temptation to go in but walked right through the city to the Alcazar at the far end. The city is on a steep lump of rock which narrows to the castle. This looked like Disneyland as you approach because it is well looked after but inside was enchanting. Crumbly rate for tickets = E3 each. Avis said there is a point when a holiday comes alive & this was it, what with the carved wooden ceilings & amazing views. We walked back to a cafe near the square for sandwiches (kaseschinkentoast) & drink for lunch, E10. Then, we went to the Modern Art Museum to find it derelict & under virtual reconstruction. After a bit more of a walk round, we met a couple of our old ladies & chattered before going back to the meeting point.

Segovia Alcazar	View from the Alcazar	Inside the Alcazar
Wooden ceiling	Dressed for business	Segovia from the Alcazar

The coach took about 1.5 hours to get to the hotel, a Novotel 4 star business doss house & we don't know how close it is to the centre. Half an hour was spent negotiating Madrid's huge motorway system. The room was big but the bathroom, not a pacch on the Salamanca one: no bath & no bidet. The reception & lounge areas are dreary. When we went to the buffet dinner, I thought maybe things were going to look up & the sliced sausage starters were ok, in that they all tasted different but the rest of the stuff had somehow been blanded to death. There was grouper with mushrooms but with tough asparagus (the asparagus in Salamanca was wonderful). The gateaux were somewhat neutered. There were two ladies on the next table, the one next to me took a mountain of food (which she did, in fact eat) but I teased her by saying she had a good appetite: was she a bloke in drag? Which did produce a gale of hilarity but Avis as usual, did not know where to put her face. I had found it difficult to log on to the hotel wi-fi but they gave me a password in reception.