Segovia with the Butlers

On Sunday October 30th we took a day trip to Segovia. We went by bus which took one hour. It would have been half the time by train, however, it was cheaper and had free WIFI so that pleased everyone. After eating our picnic lunch in the town we went sightseeing, first to see the Roman aqueduct:

2000 year old Aqueduct built by the Romans to transport water from the mountains to the city of Segovia,
mainly to the Segovia Alcázar -only stopped being used  last century.

Plaza Azoguejo, Segovia
The aqueduct is 28.5m at its highest, including 6m of foundation

The Aqueduct was built with granite blocks and no mortar

The boys are at the top of the many steps where you can look out and see the top of the aqueduct

Taking a rest out of the sun on the way back down.

The Butlers and the Menkens are down there, heading back towards the Plaza Azoguejo.

Segovia Cathedral.
The Cathedral was built on the highest point of the city and took approximately 52 years to complete.

Climbing the hill to the Cathedral in Plaza Mayor.

still more to go!

Late Gothic style Catholic Cathedral.
Construction started in 1525 during the reign Carlos V.

Cathedral of Segovia in the Plaza Mayor

Segovia souvenirs

Alcázar of Segovia was originally built as a fortress made from wood. It became a palace in the middleages and the stone construction began while King Alfonso VIII and his wife Eleanor of Plantagenet used it as their principal home. Used as a palace most of the middleages it then became a state prison when the royal court moved to Madrid. 1762, it was used by the Royal Artillery school founded by Charles III. 1896 became a Military College, ordered by King Alfonso XIII. Most recenly it has inspired the fairytale castle in the movie - Sleeping Beauty. 

View of the Cathedral and behind the Guadarrama Mountains from the Alcázar

View of the Cathedral's bell tower (approximately 90m to the top of the spire)

Cafe Jema, Plaza Mayor

Enjoying the sun, the drinks and waiting for food.

Still waiting but enjoying the day.

Band Stand in Plaza Mayor with the Cathedral behind.
The view we had from the Cafe Jema.

End of our journey: From the Segovia Palace to Moncloa, Madrid.
 The official residence of the Prime Minister of Spain since 1977 is in the Palace of Moncloa (not shown).

Halloween in Spain

Growing up in England, I never dressed up for Halloween or even celebrated it. It was just another ordinary day in my life as a child. Now in England it just depends on where you live. Therefore, I was not sure whether the kids of Spain would celebrate it. I was certainly not planning on handing out candy because of where we live - 3rd floor of an apartment block. The Menken family ourselves did celebrate Halloween the whole weekend.

Saturday October 29th 2011:
The Mums of the football boys organized a get together in a local bar. While the Mums sat and chatted, the boys had fun together. They even found the American store down the street and the Menken boys were delighted to report back that they sold Nerds and Hershey bars and even more delighted to know that their friends liked the Hershey bars they tasted, even when their Mother does not.

Boys in their soccer uniform, catching the train home after a match.

Football Mums celebrating Halloween at a local bar.

Sunday October 30th 2011:
The Butlers and the Menkens visited Sergovia together and then the Menkens had a sleep over at the Butlers.

Everyone jumped (literally) when I asked for help to put the air-matrice down.

Monday October 31st 2011:
We woke up at the Butlers on Halloween morning, a day off school for all. Halloween is not a school holiday in its own right. It was acting as a bridge day off to the fiesta - all Saints Day - when there is always no school.
That night our complex did have a Halloween party planned with snacks and drinks for all the children and the kids did go around the apartments trick or treating, in their costumes. Luckily, I had enough candy in the house to hand out. I had bought it to give away to friends that we were seeing that weekend. Before the party the boys visited the American store so they could show me where it was. Not that I did not already know, I had just been warned that it was very expensive and moreover, what happened to when in Rome do as the Romans do? As an example of how expensive, they sell Fruit Loops for about $15/ box (5X as expensive). The boys had asked their Dad to bring them some and he forgot so they will have to wait for his next visit.

American store on Halloween

The boys were excited to see all the American candy aagain.

Miranda's Wedding

Family weddings are my favourite. I so appreciated being in Europe this year when there was another family wedding. It meant we could go!

Journey to the Wedding:
On October 14th we left Madrid and flew to London for the wedding of my cousin Miranda (15th October 2011). We stayed the night with my older sister, Cecilia who lives an hour south of London by train. The wedding was in the north of London, so my sister's family, the Truemans and the Menkens caught a train and then the underground to arrive.

Harry, Billy and Charley waiting for the train to leave.

Dressed for the wedding and going to London on the train.

Bill (Brother-in-law), Olivia (niece), Cecilia (sister), Lawrence (nephew), Charley, Harry, Nathaniel (nephew), Matthew (nephew) and Billy crossing London on the Underground.

Fiona and her brother in-law, Bill

While taking this photo I heard a voice behind asking: "are there any Menkens and Truemans on this tube?" I turned around and there was one of my cousins and his family travelling to the wedding on the same tube.

Cecilia, Bill, Fergus, Karen, Christopher (cousin), Haymish and Olivia(niece)

Our party to the wedding increased as we met my cousin, Christopher and his family (Karen and two sons) on the underground.

Matthew, Haymish, Christopher, Nathaniel and Bill

At the Church:
My youngest and my sister's youngest wore identical suits (apart from the size). It just so happened that one of the last weddings we went to Lawrence wore the suit that Billy now has on (and Matthew wore that which Lawrence is wearing). So useful having older boy cousins and brothers especially for clothes that hardly ever get worn.

Billy and Lawrence (cousins) in their identical suits posing outside the church.

Mother of the Bride, my Aunt Elizabeth (Dad's sister)

Standing: My uncle Robert (Dad's youngest brother) with his son-in-law, Memo holding Giacomo. Sitting: Nathaniel talking to Henry (Robert's son - French cousin)

Bride's entrance, Martha(wife of Damien) and Damien (cousin) on the left, Isobel (Cousin) and Charlie (Iso's husband) on the right with Charley, Lawrence and Harry in the foreground. 

Miranda and Alexander exiting the church with my uncle James (Dad's brother) on the left front and Richard (Dad's cousin) and Dad on the right front.

From the Church to the Reception:
The wedding party was transported by London double decker buses from the church to the reception.

All the boy first cousins waiting for the bus

First and second cousins (the sons of Damien, my cousin): Olivia, Willo, George, Matthew, Lawrence, Nathaniel, Rufus, Harry, Billy and Charley

The Truemans (sister's family) waiting for the bus.

Two buses were hired to take us across London from St. Mary's Church, Hampstead to Armoury House, near Finsbury Square for the wedding breakfast.

We all fit into two busses

Father of the Bride (Uncle Graham) ensuring everyone gets on.

Charley and Billy on the top in the front

Armoury House for the Wedding Breakfast:

The boys with their grandpa.

Dad with his two daughters and his only granddaughter.

The bride enjoying the balloons go off.

Setting up for photos.

Harry, Billy, Fergus, Christopher, Dad and Charley.

Alice (Philip's daughter), Fiona, Karen, Fergus, Christopher, Haymish, Philip (Christopher's brother) and partner.

More official photos: Rufus, Mary Eloise (Miranda's sister), Willo, Miranda, Alexander, Beatrice (daughter of Damien, bride's brother) and Eleanor (daughter of Isobel, bride's sister).

Rufus, George, Willo (three sons of D&M), Damien (bride's brother), Martha (wife of Damien) in the back row with their daughter, Beatrice in the front (oldest bridesmaid). Mary Eloise (Bride's oldest sister) left of the newlyweds. Elizabeth (bride's mother) and Isobel (bride's sister) on the right. Isobel's husband, Charlie and son Inigo are left foreground and their daughter, Eleanor is the youngest bridesmaid. Graham (father of the bride) right foreground.

Damien (brother of the bride) and wife, Martha standing behind the newlyweds and Isobel (sister of the bride) standing next to Martha. Isobel's husband Charlie is on the left with one of their three sons Inigo and their daughter Eleanor is the smallest bridesmaid. Damien's three sons, George, Willo and Rufus are in the back and his daughter, Beatrice is the oldest bridesmaid in the front. The bride's other sister, Mary Eloise is on the left of her. Mother of the bride, Elizabeth is talking to Graham's Australian nephew (his sister Sarah is behind) and Graham, father of the bride is off to get more family members for the photo. Olivia is in the foreground.

Memo (married to my French cousin Alice, daughter of my father's youngest brother, Robert) and their son Giacomo.

Second cousins: Inigo and Alexander (the smallest boys are two of Iso's), Beatrice and Rufus are two of Damien's children.

Second cousins: Eleanor (Iso's daughter) and Olivia.

Second cousins: Harry, Charley, friend, Willo, Beatrice, Inigo, Alexander, Billy and Rufus.

Anna (Daughter of Tom, French cousin) and Beatrice (daughter of Alice, French cousin); grandchildren of my father's youngest brother, Robert.

Father of the bride's speech.

Bridegroom's speech

Best Man's speech

Cutting of the cake using a family sword.

Journey Home:

After the wedding we took a bus to the train station and then a train back to my sister's house where we stayed one more night and then on the Sunday afternoon we flew back to Madrid with the rest of our suitcases brought from MN that wouldn't fit on the plane the first time around, without an excess baggage fee.

View from the bus as we crosed the Thames.

My dad, my sister's family and the Menkens taking the bus to the station.

Most of the boys sat at the back of the empty bus.

Train journey from London.

On the Cercanias train from Madrid Airport to Pozuelo on the way home.