On Tuesday we decided to take another day trip – this time to Segovia, another UNESCO world heritage site, located near the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains north of Madrid. We took an inexpensive bus from Madrid, which dropped us off close to the center of town. We loved Segovia! It is a charming city rich with architectural wonders, the most famous being a Roman aqueduct that was built in the first or second century to bring water from the mountains nine miles away to the burgeoning city. The aqueduct was simply amazing to behold. Built out of granite blocks with no mortar, the arched structure stands tall and straight to this day – and can still carry a stream of water, 2000 years later! The main part of town was built on top of a hill (as usual), so the aqueduct was necessary to span the valley between the mountain and the town. Once it reached the hill, the aqueduct went underground providing water to fountains throughout the city culminating at a castle on the other end of the hill.
The old town was very quaint, with small, windy streets, old houses and little squares and gardens.
The strategic location at the far end of the town where the aqueduct ended was once a medieval palace, a prison, and an artillery school. It burned in 1862, which paved the way for it to be rebuilt in a style fitting of the Romantic Age. Today the castle is called the Alcázar, and is one of the most beautiful castles in Spain – if not Europe. It served as one of the templates for Walt Disney’s Cinderella Castle. The visit was fun and we climbed all the way to the top of the tower, rewarded with amazing views!
We continued trying local delicacies, and had the best Iberico ham sandwiches for lunch, bocadillos de jamón ibérico. The Iberico pigs are fed acorns, and we think it is the best cured ham in the world (sorry prosciutto). We finished our meal with ponche segoviano, a delicious dessert made with marzipan.
On our way back to the bus station, we decided to follow the aqueduct in the opposite direction. It got shorter and shorter as we gradually climbed a hill until we reached the last remaining part – about four feet tall.
We enjoyed our short time in Spain, and would love to explore more of it in the future.
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