The Lonely Planet says: “Unesco World Heritage–listed Segovia has always had a whiff of legend about it, not least in the myths that the city was founded by Hercules or by the son of Noah. It may also have something to do with the fact that nowhere else in Spain has such a stunning monument to Roman grandeur (the soaring aqueduct) surviving in the heart of a vibrant modern city. Or maybe it’s because art really has imitated life Segovia-style – Walt Disney is said to have modelled Sleeping Beauty’s castle in California’s Disneyland on Segovia’s Alcázar. Whatever it is, the effect is stunning: a magical city of warm terracotta and sandstone hues set amid the rolling hills of Castilla, against the backdrop of the Sierra de Guadarrama.”
Although I have been to Spain before, my time had been so limited that I never had enough time to visit this world treasure with enough time to see it all.
Knowing that Dan would love to see they rich history of this city and another one, I booked a tour for us.
If you know me, you will surely know that tourist tours are NOT for me and that I rank them almost as low in my list of likes as I do frogs.
However needing to be practical and knowing we had just a day for this adventure I went ahead and booked us on a tour Spain’s two historical cities.
We had to meet our tour group at the Plaza the Toros early in the morning. In order to ensure we were there on time we we took a cab for the crosstown trip from our hotel to the tour meeting point.
We arrived early enough and we walked around. Soon we began to see other people who were looking for our tour guide.
We confirmed that we had the right meeting place. We all confirmed we were taking the same day trip and we waited. Our meeting time came and went and there was no tour guide or a sign of a bus near where we were standing.
Dan saw a bus in the distance and asked if he should go check it out. I told him no since it did not make sense that it would be that far from where we were.
Apparently this savvy traveler was wrong along with the 20 or so other people waiting at the spot described in our ticket.
We soon saw this big blue bus with the tour company drive away without us. As soon as I saw that I got in the phone with the tour company. As I argued with the operator that the tour guide had not come down to look for us and that we had been there early all other stranded attendees began to see what had happened.
As I argued with the woman I saw that this was not going to go far. So I decided to hand the phone off to another frustrated person while I made alternate plans.
I saw that there was another bus and I figured it may be going to the same places.
As I spoke to the tour guide, she told me that she had never had anyone just walk up and pay there. I assured her that if she called her office she could have a sold out bus as opposed to a half empty one.
So although now I am working on a refund from the original compnay we were soon on our way to Segovia.
The ride on the bus was a little over an hour. It was lovely to see the countryside again. We got to view one of the largest crosses in the world up on the mountain.
Legend has it that Chalamagne prior to battle asked God which of his men would die the next day. In a dream he saw a cross on the forehead of each soldier that would die. So upon waking and prior to heading to war he made those men stay behind. When he came back from the battle he found that the men he had left behind had died in a fire.
To commemorate them he had this huge cross built in their burial site.
It is amazing to think that after all these hundreds of years the cross still stands to mark the spot.
A church has also been built inside the mountain but alas it was not on our itinerary this time.
As we arrived in Segovia I was excited to see the world’s most well preserved Roman Aqueduct. It is such a marble that there is no cement or adhesive used to keep the bricks in place. I was in awe how precisely their calculations had to be in order to build something that had stood the test of time and survived kings, wars, discoveries of new worlds, modernization of cities and current times.
The old of Segovia contains a multitude of historic buildings both religious and secular importance, including a large number of buildings of Jewish origin, notably within the old Jewish Quarter. One of the most historically important Jewish sites is the Jewish cemetery, El Pinarillo.
As it is with most tours, once we saw the aqueduct we began our quick walking tour following the girl with the umbrella. She took us around the city giving us bits and pieces of notable info about the building of consequence in the city. As we kept walking, she would tell us that we could spend more time there during the free time. For me, there was so much to see that a day here would not have been enough. It was plenty of time to definitely know I need to come back here and explore the Monasteries, the Cathedral, homes of poets and artist that have contributed to making Segovia so rich in history and culture. Finally as we neared the other side of town we came upon the famous Alcazar of Segovia, the royal palace built on a stone peninsula between the rivers Eresma and Clamores, is documented for the first time in 1122, although it may have existed earlier. It was one of the favored residences of the monarchs of Castile. This amazing architectural beauty is built in the transition from Romanesque architecture to Gothic-and Mudéjar.
I was so excited to go in that I could hardly contain myself. This was once the home of Queen Isabella of Christopher Columbus fame. From what I was able to gather, she was a very independent female that required her independence despite marrying a king. It is said that she had her future husband sign and agreement prior to marriage stating that if she was to die her property and kingdom would not pass to her husband but would remain hers and when he died it would pass to their heirs if any.
I have always been fascinated by strong women in history. Despite the fact that they lived in times where it may have been out of the norm they stood their ground, made their mark and did not conform. My maternal grandmother was such a woman. Perhaps this is why I strive to nurture these traits in myself. I think that seed was planted for me long ago.
From what I have read about Queen Isabela, I believe my grandmother was strong minded and loved by a man who admired her independent spirit and resolve. Needless to say this apple does not fall far from the tree.
My visit to the castle did not disappoint. It was filled with treasured and if the walls could speak I would be transported with their tales of knights and the Spanish court long ago.
I was fascinated to see that despite a crippling fire in the 1800 many of the original furnishing and artifacts have been saved for us to catch a glimpse of an era long ago.
In one of the rooms, there was a beautiful painting that according to the story, when the fire broke out the town’s people rushed in to save it and the many books within the library. Out of the hundreds of books, many that survived did so because they were thrown over the castle walls down to the river down below. The painting was cut out of it’s frame and to this day you can see the crease marks where it was folded in ordered to be carried out to safety.
Once again I was disappointed we had little time to explore the inside of this marvelous place. Currently there is an artillery museum inside and I know Dan would have liked to have seen it had we not had to run back to the bus.
Here is a bit of advice. Do your home work, make your own tour as you travel. What may appeal to you may not be that which appeals to the masses. Most world cities have made it so easy to navigate and visit these treasures.
They are a part of our heritage as inhabitants of this wonderful world.
There is something for everyone out there. Perhaps we get too comfortable in our own back yards. However, seeing history come alive and meeting other people from the other side of the world does wonders for your perspective and view of life.
As we ran to the bus, I made a mental note of what to see next. Needless to say we arrived on time at our designated meeting point just to sit and wait for those who lacked the consideration of being on time back to the bus.
Next we headed to Toledo…
NY RedRose 