Yesterday I had one of the best birthday gifts I ever had: a balloon ride.
A few years ago, when I had not yet come to live in Europe, I thought that balloons no longer existed, that they were from the past. I know, very naive of me, but I really did not think you could still ride in one, until a friend told me she did and it seemed incredible to me.

I imagine that at some point I told Francisco that a balloon ride was in my wish list, and this year he organized it as a surprise for my birthday.

We arrived at 8:30 at the meeting point, and shortly after began my balloon ride, with the best views of Segovia.

At first it gave me a little bit of vertigo, but then it was wonderful and relaxing. It last around one hour, the landing was very smooth, and even though the sky was not at its best, the ride was fantastic. It ended with a picnic, a toast and a diploma for being our first balloon ride. The guys from the tour were amazing, very cheerful and kind with all of us. They explained us how everything work and answer all our questions and request, also told us that we were in the biggest balloon available in Spain. They were 20 of us in the bag, but I have to say it was comfortable, and actually a few members of the team were over 60s and had no complaints, so I’ll say it is suitable for everybody over 6 years old, anyway contact aerotours first if you have any doubts.

At noon we were in the historic center of Segovia on our own, which is always very nice to visit and an afternoon is enough to do so.

What you can’t miss about Segovia is its Cathedral, the Alcazar and the Aqueduct, and of course you have to try the “cochinillo”, their typical dish. I order it every time I go to Segovia, and my favorite restaurant there is El Mesón de Cándido (better to book first).