Segovia

A couple of weeks ago we visited Segovia, just 30 minutes outside of Madrid. We had no real expectations, and boy were we in for a treat. It was magnificent. Similar to Toledo, but perhaps better in some respects, because of the Castle (Alcazar) located here. Segovia is another fortified city, trapped in the 16th century, with a spectacular cathedral (seen above) and the very famous Roman Aqueduct.

From the train station we took a taxi to Alcazar (which literally means Castle), seen above. As soon as Francisco saw the towers (turrets) he started yelling "Rapunzel!" and spent the rest of the tour convinced that she was hiding somewhere in there. Alcazar has some of the most amazing rooms inside --exquisitely decorated in the Al-mudejar (Muslim) style of the 16th century. It is also very well preserved, complete with a throne room (with the kings thrones) and their bed chamber - so cool. We were surprised at how cold it was in the castle and visualized its past inhabitants shivering within its cold stoney walls all the time.

 

The landscapes are so beautiful in this area. Very arid with snow capped mountains, and rich in yellow and brown hues. As you can see, it was a chilly day but the brilliant sun countered this and made it very pleasant.

The kids loved seeing the artillery room in Alcazar, complete with knights, canons (and balls), swords, and arrows. We also climbed the steep spiraling staircase (yes, carrying Francisco!) up to the towers (Seen above, bottom left pic) for a magnificent view of Segovia and the mountains.

 

As you can see, Francisco found many potential "Rapunzel" towers and as he banged on door after door, insisting that she open, we finally had to tell him that she was taking a nap. Only then was he satisfied and the tour went on (in the left picture above you might make out a faint red blotch at the base of the Tower door, that's Francisco). The bottom right picture is of a small church on the outskirts of Segovia, it was too far to walk but have heard it is beautiful. Buildings such as these were almost common throughout Segovia, marking it with such a special sense of history.

From Alcazar we walked towards the main plaza to see the Cathedral, which can be seen in the background. Two rivers converge in Segovia, making it strategically very fortified.

Along the way to the Cathedral, bellies began to rumble, so we took a break at a little park and our little monsters got their fill.

This is very impressive back end of the Cathedral. On the inside, it reminded us of Toledo's Cathedral. After visiting, we took a side-street off the Main Plaza and found a restaurant called Lazaros, where we ate Cochinillo (this is the trademark food of Segovia), which is a roasted suckling pig. It was really good and the dessert, Ponche Segoviano, was awesome too.

From there, it was time to see the third major attraction of Segovia: The Roman Aqueduct. It is a thing of beauty. It has been restored somewhat over the centuries, but it retains its original structure and stones. The aqueduct is quite imposing especially contrasting with the deep blue sky.

We just hung out there (which is what a lot of people seem to do, they just hang out at the base of the aqueduct!) and walked through nearby streets for the rest of the afternoon.

It almost goes without saying that the vast majority of these pictures were taken by Fede, who did an excellent job. It'll be hard to decide which ones to frame once we're back in the States!

Here are the two boys, just as cute as can be. And, we're happy to report that they're fighting less and playing more together (yay!)

When one travels to these Castillian towns (like Toledo and Segovia) it is hard not to notice the deep impression that the "Catholic Monarchs" (Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella) had on Spain. Their crest of "Castilla y Leon" (the Castle and the Lion) are found on every historic building. Talk about effective 16th century propaganda!

 

I realize that this post is photo-rich, and it was just hard to leave out so many terrific shots. It was such a beautiful day trip and we hope that you've been able to experience a bit of Segovia through it. Signing off with one last picture, Fede's favorite!