Segovia Day Trip

While we could have easily spent the day exploring Madrid, possibly delving deeper into Spain's unique 20th Century history surrounding World War II, we couldn't resist the temptation to visit two UNESCO World Heritage cities not distant from Spain's capital.

It seems everywhere in Europe, the Romans made major impact, and that couldn't be more apparent than at 93 feet tall Aqueduct of Segovia which welcomes visitors to that fair city.

Built with unmortared granite blocks and featuring 118 arches, it carried water about ten miles from the Rio Frio, with a one degree slope to allow the water to be then distributed throughout the ancient walled city.  Such plumbing is beyond the technologies and financial means in many third world regions in our modern era.

However, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.

We awakened before dawn to walk to Madrid's beautiful historic bull ring, the meeting spot for our full-day Viator Tour to Segovia and Toledo.

Keep in mind that if you book a 12-hour tour, then you shouldn't party the night before.  Julie and I rarely have more than one or two drinks, so that's never been an issue for us, but it's good to remember.  Even without a hangover, it can be a bit confusing to find the right bus, especially if your guide happens to be the last one to call her group.

Just to be clear, it never hurts to ask the drivers and guides to direct you to the right bus.

By the time we reached Segovia, an absolutely perfect day with blue skies and fluffy clouds had unfolded.

The 2,000 year-old  Aqueduct seemed like such an amazing attraction that when our guide said everyone should take advantage of the public restrooms, I was unsure there would be much more to see.  Another tour group had arrived just as ours had, so I walked outside the city walls to a nearby McDonald's, where I also snagged a cup of coffee.  Delayed by crowds at the public restrooms, one lady didn't make it back in the allotted time.

Always keep in mind on tours that if you're late, the only choices are that you might have missed something important or inconvenienced others in your group by potentially losing time for something else.

Our guide had launched into the facts about the Aqueduct mentioned above and others, such as that it in addition to being "the most impressive Roman structure in Spain," it delivered drinking water to the city until 1950.

The Walls of Segovia are also visually striking upon arrival at the city.  While they were in existence at least as far back as the heyday of the Moors, the walls were enlarged by Alfonso VI of León and Castile when he captured the city in 1079.  Using granite blocks and gravestones from Roman necropolis --- a reminder of how fortunate we are that the blocks of the Aqueduct of Segovia weren't repurposed over the centuries --- the perimeter was expanded to almost two miles by Alfonso VI.

While it has become popular in some quarters to say that a ladder slightly longer than the height of a wall makes walls obsolete, I can't help notice that many of these same people have walls around their own homes.  Walls have been the most effective way to limit ingress for centuries.

We were soon wandering through the gorgeous medieval city.  Our guide explained how many of the architectural features including the intricate wall designs were Moorish in origin, even if they had been built after the Reconquista.

Rather than simply being engulfed in its past, however, Segovia remains a vibrant community, with lots of sidewalk cafes as well as shops that appeal not only to tourists but to collectors of beautiful art objects and more practical goods.

At the plaza, our guide pointed to the cathedral where Queen Isabella had marched carrying the royal standard in 1474 after the 23-year-old had been named Queen of Castile upon the death of her half-brother.  A war of succession had previously been settled by making Isabella heir presumptive ahead of King Henry IV's daughter.

"There is a larger, more grandiose Gothic Cathedral between the castle where she was crowned and the plaza, so why had Isabella not gone there instead?" our guide asked.

The answer was simple: because it hadn't been built yet.

"The Lady of Cathedrals" was constructed in the mid-sixteenth century using lucrative treasures from the Americas made possible by Queen Isabella's wise investment in the voyages of Columbus.  It was the last Cathedral built in the Gothic style, which had become outdated throughout Europe.  "Gothic" had become something of a derogatory term on the continent, implying ugly, but there's not doubt the Segovia Cathedral is elegant and beautiful.

The Alcázar of Segovia has an even more impressive exterior, calling to mind fairy-tale castles.  Initially, it had been a Muslim Era fort built by the Berbers, as evidenced by the name for this royal palace.

The Moors' fort was a wooden structure, and even that had been built on Roman foundations, giving it a history far earlier than its first mention in 1120.

Obviously, much care has been taken remodeling and then refurbishing the exterior over the years.  It looks like a castle the Walt Disney Company could have built recently in one of its theme parks.

As we appreciated the panoramic views and took photos by the castle, our guide bought our admission tickets included with the tour.  We were allowed plenty of time to tour the castle on our own.

Of particular interest to me were the suits of armor and weapons from different eras.

Another highlight, of course, was the Throne Room.

Some people chose to do a quick walk through the Alcázar to allow time for shopping or purchasing entrance to the Cathedral, but we tried to allow just enough time to take a leisurely walk back to meet our bus, where like almost everyone else, we arrived a few minutes early.

As usual, a few stragglers who realized they needed a restroom or finished snacks slowed our scheduled departure time but fortunately not by much.

Apparently, we were all looking forward to the UNESCO World Heritage City of Toledo to visit.