One of the first out-of-Madrid tours I took was to
Segovia. What an incredible town NW of Madrid with a current population of roughly 60,000 residents.
Needless to say, this town that was conquered by the Romans in 200 BC has an abundance of historic artifacts including a section of the original first century Roman aqueduct beside medieval walls, royal palace from the days of the Moors and Gothic cathedral!
The last 1km segment of the aqueduct towers above visitors when entering
Segovia... it's kind of hard to miss =) I learned that the aqueduct is "the most impressive Roman structure in Spain, and one of the most famous among the numerous aqueducts built by the Romans throughout their vast Empire,” Lapunzina wrote. "It consists of about 25,000 granite blocks held together without any mortar, and spans 818 meters with more than 170 arches, the highest being 29 meters high." Amazing efforts of the Romans to move water from one place to another!
As we walked the streets, we passed by
St Michael's Cathedral that is one of 24 churches in town (yes twenty-four!) where
Queen Isabella was crowned
Queen of Castile and Leon in 1474.
Isabella and husband
Ferdinand II were responsible for supporting the voyage of
Christopher Columbus to open the New World (North America) in 1492 among other local efforts in Spain.
Our tour group stopped at the
Segovia Cathedral, one of the last Gothic churches to be built in Europe between 1525-1577. Its vaults reach 33 meters high with a bell tower almost 90 meters in height. It is a stunning and bold statement in the heart of
Segovia in true Gothic style.
The interior is just as spectacular! Visitors can observe some of the 23 smaller chapels within this cathedral, each with beautifully vaulted stone ceilings, gorgeous stained glass along with magnificent sculptures and altars. I made particular notice of the Gothic-style seating of the choir (with choir stalls, built-in rows of prayer rests and hinged seats) together with the centuries-old organ and first book printed and published in Spain.
I don't think I've ever seen storks before, especially in their natural habitat. But just outside the royal palace, perched on top of a tree, was a nest of storks. The mother bird feeding the younger.
We also passed by shops in town serving roasted baby pig, called
Cochinillo Asado, a popular dish in
Segovia. Some unexpected sightings on our tour of this town.
Queen Isabella lived in the royal palace along with other royalty over the centuries. The castle is named
Alcazar of Segovia that still stands prominently on a hill on the outskirts of town. I would guess the palace looks like most people would expect because
Walt Disney was inspired to use its design as a prototype for
Cinderella's Castle in
his kingdom.
I'm including an etched image of the palace from the 19th century, some 400 years after Isabella's reign...
The royal palace evolved over the years having each king/queen add their own room -- as documented for the first time in 1122 to the mid-1700s. How amazing to see original artifacts from over the centuries in rooms luxuriously designed by royalty, including royal bed chambers, an armory room with suits of armor, throne room alongside other rooms, complete with stained glass, paintings and tapestries.
