In Spain, when a holiday falls on, say, a Tuesday, some people also take Monday off to create a mini-vacation. That's called a puente, or "bridge."

Tuesday, December 6, is Constitution Day, which is a national holiday, so for some people Monday is a puente. And Thursday, December 8, is the Immaculate Conception, also a national holiday — the two days together are often referred to as the "Immaculate Constitution." That creates the opportunity for another puente on Wednesday. And of course, you can take a puente on Friday to get you to Saturday.

This year, it's not just a puente or a super-puente. It's an aqueduct.

I teach English at an after-school academy. We'll see how many of our students show up this week. I already know some won't. I get paid either way.

— Sue Burke
By luck, I was in Segovia at the right place at the right time to snap a dramatic shot of the Roman aqueduct.

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