Sightseeing in Segovia

At 8.15am last Saturday morning I was at the bus station ready to start my day trip to Segovia, a beautiful historic town in Castilla y Leon. Although it was an early start and I needed a bit more sleep, the views of the landscape on the way were not something I would have wanted to miss. As the sun rose, the stunning mountains of the Sierra de Francia came into view. Then, as we approached the city, Segovia's wonderful cathedral and castle emerged too.

On arrival at the plaza mayor, which has a very understated yet typically Spanish feel, we had the chance to admire the cathedral, a unique religious monument. Its construction started in 1525 and didn't finish until 1768, due to the vast amount of decorative work that was added, both inside and out.

Equally stunning is the Alcázar, the castle of Segovia, which originated as an Arab fortress and later became one of the Catholic monarchs' favourite palaces. It has a very interesting history and was the place where Queen Isabella was crowned, as well as where she married Ferdinand II. It is also rumoured that this could be the castle that inspired Walt Disney's well know emblem, with its many pointed turrets. The views from this spot were definitely worthy of plenty of photographs too! Given the dominant position of the castle, the surroundings can be seen for miles around and due to the sub zero temperatures that the region has been experiencing, many of the mountains in view were topped with snow too.

To warm us up from the freezing cold, we stopped for a hot drink in a café on a small street, where we would also be offered homemade tortilla and a selection of pastries by the owner. Not only was the town exceptionally pretty, but the locals were apparently very friendly too!

We then headed on to see the Roman aqueduct, part of which has been extremely well preserved, (despite not being held together by any cement!) and can be seen for miles around. We also learnt about a local legend about the construction of the aqueduct, which says that it was the devil who built it overnight, after a young peasant girl, so tired of fetching water from the river, offered to sell her soul to the devil if he could provide a solution before the sun rose the next morning. The devil set to work, but as the sun came up, there was still one stone left out of place, meaning that although Segovia had a complete aqueduct, the girl's soul was saved. An interesting story, but probably not something that the Romans would have appreciated after all their hard work!

It was soon time to head home after a great (albeit chilly) day of exploring this fantastic city. The only thing we didn't have time for was to try the local speciality cochinillo, roast suckling pig, which is apparently one of the most delicious dishes that Spain has to offer. I guess I'll just have to go back again, won't I?