Through the Mountains

First, we have to start with 'dinner' last night.  John and Beth had spotted Don Giovanni's which the guide had recommended.  We got there at 8:00 when they opened for dinner--just a block or so up the street--, we were told to come back at 9:00pm.  We decided to explore other options.  On the way back to the hotel, we saw a tapas bar with tables on the sidewalk.  It was hot so sitting outside had lots of appeal.  We all started with a little wine.  John and Beth ordered salad (or so they thought) and got cold soup--very good.  Christine and Jerry ordered cold soup (or so they thought) and got a beautiful vegetable salad.  Chuck ordered an open-faced blue cheese and anchovy sandwich.  I ordered smoked salmon.  The bread has all been crusty and very good.  Also had brie and honey --sticky, sticky, but oh so good.  It was a great experience. 
Today was suppose to be cooler because we are at a higher elevation.  Left Madrid (the city was all cleaned up and very tidy this morning) and drove through the rugged Sierra de Guadarrama mountains on the way to Segovia.  As we entered Segovia, we could see the 2000 year old Roman aqueduct that brought water to the city.  This whole area looks like Southern California with hillsides that are summer tan and grass and flowers that are flourishing with sprinklers.  Easy to understand why the Spanish settled California and the Southwest.   We walked UP to the cathedral and then DOWN to Alcazar--a medieval castle about a 1000 years old with a drawbridge, moat, throne room, armour, etc.  Time was short so we had to hurry back --Up to the Cathedral and Down to the Bus.  We were exhausted because it was hot and longer than we had anticipated.  On the road for another hour or so through fields of wheat and sunflowers.  Then we arrived in Avila a walled city where St. Theresa founded the Order of Carmelites.  Had a hurried lunch.  We all had about the same thing:  salad or cold soup, pork tenderloin (tasted like fried ham) or breaded ham/cheese, fries, good bread, water, wine, and flan or ice cream.  Very good.  Back to the bus and back on the road.  By 4pm, we arrived at Salamanca where we will spend the night.  After a walk around town, we will eat dinner at 8:30pm. We are getting grooved into the different schedule a little bit.  Siesta time helps justify when we fall asleep on the bus.   Today we were in the state of Castile.  It is known for ham and pork.
The differences in the using the Internet are amusing.  The first day we used our netbook and paid 6 Euros --from noon to midnight.  The second day we went to the Internet cafe and paid .9 Euros ($1.15) for 45 minutes.  Today we are using our netbook in our room for free.