Segovia and the Serranos

Segovia rests on a limestone bluff in the mountains above Madrid; two sides of the city were surrounded by snowy peaks, making all the tourists in town happy almost wherever they pointed their cameras. Why go to Segovia? Three monuments make this another UNESCO World Heritage City (tired of hearing that?): 1) the aqueduct; 2) the cathedral; 3) the Castle. Yep, there´s a towering Roman aqueduct running right through the center of town. Fourteen miles long, this dry-stone structure (they used no concrete or mortar) still carries 30 liters of water per second to the city. The Cathedral is touted as the last Gothic church built in Spain. Begun in 1515 and finished around 1571, it has the merit of being fairly pure in style; that is, it is Gothic through and through rather than being a strange mix of styles over several centuries. And then there´s the castle. Begun as a Christian stronghold after they took the city from the Moors in the 13th century, the castle has been built and re-built over the centuries, serving variously as the kings´ palace and as a Spanish military academy. Historically, its greatest moment may have come in 1476. That was the year in which Isabella I´s brother died and left her the only heir to the kingdom of Castile y Leon. Many opposed her coronation, and she took refuge in the Segovia castle. The cardinal of Segovia crowned her queen in the square before the castle; she went on to marry Ferdinand, King of Aragon, and the two united Spain. I say that this may have been the castle´s most important moment--for Spain. In American history, it´s also important. Early in the twentieth century, Walt Disney saw the castle and decided to use it as his model for the castle at the original Disneyland. Yes, this is the castle on the Disney logo.

Last night, a little tired of eating out, I was shopping in a local grocery for some sandwich makings. A family of five blew by me--a short, stocky dad and mom who could have been locals, an older daughter, and two big, teenage boys who looked as though they were twins. The boys surprised me when they began arguing in English over what kind of chips to buy. I said "Hello," and that´s almost the last word I had with the Serrano boys. "Oh, man! You speak English!" They were big kids--still in high school, both were about 6'1" tall with round faces and broad chests.

"You from America?"
"Dallas."
"Wow! Hey dad--someone from America--from TEXAS!" The dad looked around and smiled.
(Now, you just have to imagine the boys talking in rapid trade-off:)
"We´re from San Antonio--the Serranos. We´re, like, neighbors!"
"Hey, do you hate the food here, too?"
(Jerry: "Well . . . )
"It´s, like, all oily and stuff."
"Yah, I mean, our mom is a great cook--Tex-Mex--you know."
"More Mex than Tex." (laughs)
"Shut up!"
"But it´s good--you know!"
"Here, tortillas aren´t really tortillas, you know?"
"Yah, we got tired of the food here so we talked dad into a grocery."
"My sister likes it! She goes to Trinity University--you know it?"
(Jerry: "Yes, in San Antonio.")
"Anyway, she says it´s like all cultural and stuff here."
"It´s Spring Break, and dad made us come to SPAIN!"
"Yah, it´s like--'Spain will be good for you.'"
"Four years ago he made us go to Mexico City."
"Three years ago, Stupid."
"Whatever, he´s always making us go places to 'expose' us to things."
(Jerry: "That´s pretty great.")
"Yah, I guess--it´s all pretty interesting. We got to drink wine last night at dinner."
"Yah, tomorrow we go to Madrid--at least that´s going to be a big city."
"But mom says we´re going to spend like a whole day in an art museum!"
(Their dad called them from the cash register.)
"Well, we gotta go."
"Yah."
"Nice meeting you and all."
"Yah."

The older one shook my hand; both waved from the door. And the Serranos blew out of my life. It was fun to meet fellow Americans on the trip--not that many take the time to spend a night in a town like Segovia. The two boys were big, sweet kids, and I think that they are luckier than they know now. I never got a good look at Mr. Serrano, but I imagine that he´s been hard at work on those three kids for many years now--and doing a pretty good job.

This morning on my way out of town, I made one more stop--the Church of San Millán. On the edge of town, it´s a parish church, not really on the tourist trail. That, in fact, may be the reason why this 12th-century church has undergone only one addition, a tower, since it was completed 850 years ago. It was a pleasure to sit through morning mass and admire the three, columned apses and the fine sculpture at the tops of the un-retouched columns. While the priest was finishing the service, I couldn´t help but wonder if the Serrano boys finally had a good meal.