La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
The wedding was a wow. Our first Spanish wedding and what an introduction. It began outdoors in extreme heat (unusual for Segovia) at 5:15 p.m. with the ceremony running from 5:30 until 7:30. Before the ceremony we were greeted by several friends and family who were so welcoming and knew all about us. We were very flattered.
The ceremony was a series of touching and funny tributes from friends. I understood anywhere from one-fourth to one-half of what they said. Words from Cristina and Alfonso and ring exchange (María gave them their rings). And done. The heat was unbearable. Many got up and stood in the shade. San Geraldo and I had reserved seats with our names on them directly behind Cristina’s parents under a large rectangular terrace umbrella that didn’t quite cover us all at times. We were treated as honored guests and felt loved.
Cristina, Alfonso, and Maria sat in the sun the entire time. I don’t know how they survived. But they did and it was all beautiful and very moving. Then the outdoor cocktail hour began. By that time, San Geraldo was feeling ill and stressed, so he bowed out and took a taxi back to the hotel where it took him quite some time to recover. I toughed it out through the cocktail hour which was a feast of Segovian specialties and great music. I became a wallflower for a while and it was torture, although I eventually did visit with others and was grabbed for photos. They had a photographer and a videographer.
Then at 8:3o began dinner. In air-conditioned comfort. Beautiful speeches by Alfonso and Cristina. Lots of cheering. Alfonso and Cristina danced around the room a couple of times for kisses and photos. There was a Segovian feast. Delectable. I had charming dinner companions.
At 10:30, we were welcomed to yet another room for dancing. That was supposed to go on until 3:30. It probably went longer. I taxied to the hotel at 11:30. So much to share about the wedding and the traditions.
I spent Friday morning and Saturday exploring Segovia. SG and I had excellent meals. He enjoyed a walk with me Saturday before lunch and then went back to the hotel after lunch. The heat was just too much for him. We know how to manage Cordoba’s heat in small bursts. I walked for two more hours and felt quite ill by the time I returned to the hotel. We were supposed to leave for two days in Ávila Sunday where it was expected to be even hotter. San Geraldo was by that time dreading it and, while on my walk, I realized it was insane to continue our travels during the height of this heatwave. So, we drove home Sunday morning arriving around 7:15. I’m disappointed but we’ll try a trip again when the weather is more comfortable.
Today, because it’s all I have ready to share, are photos of the storks I saw around Segovia beginning at top with a view of our hotel from a high hillside I had never intended to climb. Some storks are in the towers beyond. Our hotel is to the left of the Repsol gas station.
There will be photos from the wedding, photos from our road trip, and many from my overheated wanderings. But now some rest. It’s only supposed to reach around 41˚C/106˚F today.
La boda fue espectacular. Nuestra primera boda en España y ¡qué comienzo! Empezó al aire libre con un calor sofocante (algo inusual en Segovia) a las 17:15, y la ceremonia duró desde las 17:30 hasta las 19:30. Antes de la ceremonia, nos recibieron varios amigos y familiares que fueron muy amables y que lo sabían todo sobre nosotros. Nos sentimos muy halagados.
La ceremonia consistió principalmente en emotivos y divertidos homenajes de amigos. Entendí entre una cuarta parte y la mitad de lo que dijeron. Palabras de Cristina y Alfonso e intercambio de anillos (María les dio los suyos). Y listo. El calor era insoportable. Muchos se levantaron y se pusieron a la sombra. San Geraldo y yo teníamos asientos reservados con nuestros nombres justo detrás de los padres de Cristina, bajo una gran sombrilla rectangular en la terraza que a veces no nos cubría del todo. Nos trataron como invitados de honor y nos sentimos muy queridos.
Cristina, Alfonso y María estuvieron sentados al sol todo el tiempo. No sé cómo lo aguantaron. Pero lo hicieron, y fue todo precioso y muy emotivo. Después empezó el cóctel al aire libre. Para entonces, San Geraldo se sentía mal y estresado, así que se retiró y tomó un taxi de regreso al hotel, donde tardó bastante en recuperarse. Aguanté la hora del cóctel, que fue un festín de especialidades segovianas y buena música. Me quedé un rato al margen, lo cual fue una tortura, aunque finalmente charlé con otros y me abordaron para fotos. Tenían un fotógrafo y un camarógrafo.
Luego, a las 20:30, comenzó la cena. En la comodidad del aire acondicionado. Hermosos discursos de Alfonso y Cristina. Muchos aplausos. Alfonso y Cristina bailaron un par de veces por la sala para besos y fotos. Hubo un festín segoviano. Delicioso. Tuve unos compañeros de cena encantadores.
A las 22:30, nos recibieron en otra sala para bailar. Se suponía que duraría hasta las 3:30. Probablemente duró más. Tomé un taxi al hotel a las 23:30. Hay tanto que contar sobre la boda y las tradiciones.
Pasé la mañana del viernes y el sábado explorando Segovia. SG y yo comimos de maravilla. El sábado disfrutó de un paseo conmigo antes del almuerzo y luego regresó al hotel. El calor era demasiado para él. Sabemos cómo sobrellevar el calor de Córdoba en pequeñas dosis. Caminé dos horas más y me sentí bastante mal cuando regresé al hotel. Se suponía que el domingo nos iríamos a Ávila por dos días, donde se esperaba que hiciera aún más calor. San Geraldo ya lo temía y, durante mi paseo, me di cuenta de que era una locura continuar nuestro viaje en pleno apogeo de esta ola de calor. Así que volvimos a casa en coche el domingo por la mañana, llegando alrededor de las 19:15. Estoy decepcionada, pero intentaremos hacer otro viaje cuando el clima sea más agradable.
Hoy, como es lo único que tengo listo para compartir, les dejo fotos de las cigüeñas que vi cerca de Segovia, empezando por arriba con una vista de nuestro hotel desde una ladera que nunca pensé que subiría. Hay cigüeñas en las torres que se ven más allá. Nuestro hotel está a la izquierda de la gasolinera Repsol.
Habrá fotos de la boda, fotos de nuestro viaje por carretera y muchas de mis andanzas bajo el calor sofocante. Pero ahora, un poco de descanso. Se supone que hoy solo alcanzará los 41°C/106°F.
Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
Haz clic en las miniaturas para ampliar.
Poor SG (and you too)! I don’t do well in the heat myself, so as I was reading your post, I pictured myself at the wedding. I probably would have had to taxi back to the hotel myself. From your description, it sounds like the wedding was wonderful.
Michael:
The wedding was incredible. Too bad about the excessive heat and no indoor option for the ceremony at that point.
When it comes to extreme heat or cold, it really helps to know your limits. That is a lot of very large storks, apparently storks are edible, but tough and hard to cook (and protected in most countries.) Yes, I did search how to roast a stork.
David:
I’ve never heard of roasted stork, although I did worry about them on top of those towers in the awful heat.
Heard about this heat wave on the news this morning. Sounds pretty serious in places. Hydration hydration hydration……
Storks are so awkward looking on land…..in the air they soar.
Jim:
We did see a couple of storks fly by. Glorious. The heat is oppressive. Here, at least, we expect it and have air conditioning.
An outdoor wedding in the sun is the worst. Years back I had friends get married and their reception was in a hall with no ASC in Sacramento in July!!!
Luckily a very nice bar was across the street so many of us escaped several times to cool off with a cock-a-tale.
That said, I love the storks nesting atop the buildings; great perches!
Bob:
We were at a casual outdoor wedding many years ago. Cold cuts and food had been put out before the ceremony and we saw them sitting there for an hour in 93-degree heat. SG and I did NOT eat.
At least this wedding dinner was indoors in air-conditioned comfort!
Nice storks! As you likely recall, there are times during the DC summer when one ventures out only at one’s peril, dashing madly from one air conditioned place to the next.
wickedhamster:
And you have high humidity. SG had what he called his DC stroll. It was a pace that enabled him to walk the 10 minutes to Metro on his way to work without breaking into a sweat. NO pace would enable him to do that now.
I’m not sure why people weren’t passing out at that wedding. It sounds like a very special sort of torture which even the joyous celebration of true love could not make up for. But one can never know when making wedding plans how the weather will be. I doubt a heat wave was even considered. And then to drink, feast, and dance until almost dawn? Those people are tougher than I am.
Beautiful stork photos. Those birds surely want to be the boss birds, don’t they? Looking down on everything. It’s a wonder they don’t stab all those human babies they bring to us with those beaks.
Ms. Moon
Ms. Moon:
Lots of hardy people. But more than half were under a large awning by mid-ceremony. Segovia never has temps that high. It’s usually in mid-70s in June. There was thought to be no risk planning an outdoor wedding. I really don’t know how Cristina, Alfonso, and Maria tolerated the heat and sun. And they were all as fresh as daisies after.
I would not have been presentable after sitting in the heat for that long, so I would have accompanied SG back to the hotel.
Kelly:
He felt so awful about leaving but also physically so awful.
They built some impressive nests on the top of that tower. High heat is oppressive. When my great niece got married it was also in the summer and in the sun but fortunately the ceremony was only about 30 minutes instead of 2 hours and we retreated indoors for the reception.
ellen abbott:
The storks’ nests were all over town. Segovia’s average high in June is mid-70s. So much for that!
Can you send some heat wave our way in PEI. It has been cool here in the 12C and yes it’s summer now. Hoping for better warmer weather soon. Lovely photos as always, love the Storks go well with weddings.
larrymuffin:
I’m sure people all over Europe would love to send some of the heat your way.
Crazy, crazy hot weather…so sorry to know that you had to cut off the Ávila portion of your trip, but you’re so smart to listen to your bodies. Looking forward to photos!
Judy C:
I was a mix of depressed and relieved on the drive home.
I love storks – such comical creatures! The sole time we saw one was in Amsterdam, where someone had put up a wheel on a pole for them to nest on.
Speaking of heatwaves, temperatures are forecast to rise to at least 39C/102.2F on Wednesday and Thursday here in London! Jx
Jon:
We always see storks on our drives here. None that I know of in town, but we had nesting storks atop some of the old churches in Seville, too. And, yes, nesting platforms are erected for them. I complain about the heat here, but at least we have air-conditioning. Even in Segovia which usually doesn’t get so hot. I don’t know how you survive it there!
Interesting stork photos — some nests are free-form and one looks like it was built in an old satellite dish. Are the nests rebuilt every year? They look heavy enough to add to the roof load, especially when there are multiple nests.
That heat sounds unbearable, but I’m looking forward to the wedding photos, Scoot!
Tundra Bunny:
The disk you see under the nest is actually a nesting platform. If you look more closely, you might be able to see them under the other nests, too.
I don’t blame SG one bit for bailing and heading back to the hotel! I would have been right there with him. Those temps are just too much! But I’m glad the wedding was beautiful and you got to be there. And the storks are cute!
Jennifer
Jennifer:
SG felt so awful about leaving but I didn’t blame him. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the wedding. (Isn’t that how the saying goes?)
How lovely …how lovely
finlaygray:
Too bad about the heat. Beautiful city. Beautiful wedding. Fascinating traditions.
Your blog is back to not updating on my reader again. As are many others. Seems like we both had lovely times at our respective wedding events.
I love the storks!!!!!! I just read a tidbit on David Attenborough’s Instagram about a stork couple. The last 9 years this stork couple have nested in the same nest and raised 9 batches of baby storks…but the female had an injury some years back and cannot fly. So, when it’s time to migrate, the male leaves, and the caretaker of the building tends to the female with food and water when the male leaves…but every year the male comes back from the 1,800 miles and reunites with the female once again and tends to her and the feedings. Nature is amazing, isn’t it???
Mistress Maddie:
Your blog and many others are the same for me. It’s so annoying. That stork story is simply beautiful!
I heard of the heat wave hitting Europe; I am glad you two chose to cut the trip short rather than soldier through. The wedding sounded marvelous!
Rade:
The wedding was stunning. A nice way to be introduced to Spanish weddings, but I think this was not such a common version. Also, no church!
Sorry the heat was a factor, but you can’t fight it. I wonder how the people in the sun managed, sheer grit.
It sounds wonderful, despite that, though. And you can always complete the road trip later. Boud
Boud:
I don’t know how they managed either.
Like the swallows and Capistrano, do the storks return to Segovia?
Kirk:
Many if not most storks remain year-round. I think it was common in the past for them to head south to Africa and then return.