Salamanca and Segovia

We leave Madrid in a westward direction to Salamanca and Segovia, two fairytale walled towns, all castles and gothic cathedrals. Salamanca, well known for its University, one of the oldest in the world, still has traces of signs written in Latin to indicate classrooms. Segovia is another walled city with a castle that dates back to the 11th Century, but was almost burned down in a fire and was rebuilt around the 18th Century. After the royalty saw no use for it, they gave it to the military academy. Up the very top of the tower you can find graffiti made by fascist soldiers in the late 30s and early 40s. Another feature of the town is the aqueduct that dates back to Roman times. However, for us the most surprising thing about arriving in Segovia was bumping into Laura and Adrian, two friends from Melbourne...

What we ate: in Salamanca, carrilleros (pig’s cheek) with Ribera del Duero Crianza as part of the whole free whatever-you-want tapas attitude at Paca. In Segovia, the local specialty: cochinillo (suckling pig), literally a little leg of tender pork with crunchy crackling, no bones about the fact that this was a piglet - the leg comes on a plate, trotter and all.