Segovia

Segovia wasn't on the radar when we were planning our trip - or even when we started on our trip. But I had mentioned to my boss on my last day of work before vacation that we were going to Madrid (she used to live/work there about 4 years ago) and a few hours later I had an email with a ton of restaurants and tour suggestions ... enough to fill a month of time just in Madrid & the surrounding areas -- MORE than enough to fill the 4 days we did have. 

One of her highly recommended side trips was Segovia. When I first read it in her note, I thought that was the name of the country in Princess Diaries that got to have Anne Hathaway join the royal family - turns out that was Genovia not Segovia.

I digress.

The first thing we discovered in Segovia was the famous Aqueduct of Segovia.

It must have been one of the largest in the Roman world. I didn't research this so don't call me out when you do and find there are several larger ones. 

The aqueduct is thought to have been built during the Flavian dynasty under the Emperor Trajan in order to carry the water of the River Acebeda to the city. The bit you see is just a small part of a stunning construction built by the Romans around the 100AD mark. This impressive work of engineering, still in excellent condition, beginning on the high end with single arches bringing the water to the tank known as El Caserón. Then, a stonework channel carries it to a second tower, and when it arrives at Plaza de Díaz Sanz, it begins to form two monumental rows of arches, one on top of the other. There is no mortar or cement between the 20,400 blocks of stone, which remain standing solidly in a perfect balance of forces. The highest point of the construction is on Plaza del Azoguejo, where it is 28.10 m high, with a total of 167 arches.

I could have stood here and studied the arches all day. And we kinda did...from every angle we could...hope you like pictures of stone arches, because here come a few...

Seriously, how did they do it so perfectly that many years ago?

Just around the corner from where the girls are standing in the last photo is a little plaque. It was placed here in 1974 and the inscription reads “Roma a Segovia en el bimilenario de su acueducto MCMLXXIV”. Or in English – “Rome to Segovia in the bimillenary of its aqueduct 1974”. Did I take a picture of that? No, no I didn't.

Adam finally lured me away from the aqueduct with promises of lunch. We ate tapas style where basically we order all our favorite snacks. Olivia is quite the fan of this style of eating. Not going to lie, the rest of us aren't against it either.

Guess who ate €10 of ham for lunch...

After eating we walked to the opposite side of Segovia’s historical center, heading towards the Segovia Cathedral.

As we walked through the backstreets, gaps in the tall, sand-colored buildings either side of us hinted glimpses of what was to come. Before long, narrow streets gave way to the wide open Plaza Mayor, home to lots more restaurants and Segovia’s impressive 14th-century cathedral.

The Segovia Cathedral took over 50 years to build, starting in 1525, after the city’s original one was destroyed by fire in 1520. It is the last cathedral of the late Gothic style in Spain (as the style was considered outdated by the time they finished building it). The current stone spire crowning the tower, dating from 1614, was erected after a major fire caused by a thunderstorm. The original spire, entirely Gothic, was built of American mahogany, had a pyramidal structure, and was the tallest tower in Spain.

Seriously watch out for fires in this place!

The inside was beautiful, ornate and each chapel tried to out do its neighbors with the level of gold and glitter. Needless to say the girls didn't want to leave.

A beautiful and "well worth it" side trip from Madrid. I'm so glad we threw it into the itinerary at the last moment!