This has come as a bit of a surprise to us. We thought perfect weather came as a complementary extra for us supporting the European economy with our Australian tourist dollars. We had noticed no gradual chilling of the winds... yes, the sun was raising later... pitch black at 8 AM... but the adjustment of sleeping in a little longer was no great hardship. The leaves on the trees were stating to turn a golden yellow... not a cause for complaint... it brightened up the photos.
Yesterday morning was our panic point. As usual, we asked Mr Google what weather lay ahead for the day... "Maximum of 19°" was his reply. "What happened to the 30° you have been providing up to now?", we wanted to know. "No", said Mr Google, "19° is your lot for today... and the rest of the week... take it or leave it." We know some of our friends in London would gladly settle for 19°... they're already freezing over there. Also, some of you in Sydney would probably like a couple of cold days... while you got your bushfires under control.
The social habits in the Plaza changed immediately. Last week, on the hotter days, the Plaza would be deserted from 5-8 PM. Then, families and couples would come out of their apartments to promenade for an hour followed by drinks or a meal in the. At 11 PM, there wouldn't be a spare seat in the restaurants... small towns like Segovia (where we are now) would have a cosmopolitan feel... more Paris than 'gay Paree'.
But, yesterday, habits changed in an instant... the promenaders did not show up. The older couples stayed at home... the younger couples went straight to the pub. The village appeared to be deserted by 5 PM... as if General Franco had risen from the grave... and signed an enforceable evacuation order. The old city reclaimed its medieval persona... tired of the frivolous banter of scatterbrained tourists... ready to impose some discipline into the modern village... to remind its citizens of how these villages were created... only the hardy survive. Our photos from now on all have to be in black-and-white... showing autumn leaves windswept into piles in dark dank corners... showing beggars... and old ladies carrying loads of fallen twigs and branches.
Our European holiday is fast drawing to a close... only four weeks remaining before we proceed to London. We progressed through to mid-October with very warm weather... we have been remarkably fortunate.
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