segovia
After a busy week of work and fun things, I spent my Friday afternoon cramming more in by traveling to Segovia for a quick trip! I took an AVE to Segovia, so from Madrid Chamartín, I got there in just under 30 minutes. Still amazed by the transportation.
I had mapped out a plan for what I wanted to see in Segovia, knowing that my time would be a bit crunched. Because of my work schedule and travel time to get to the train, I couldn't leave until 4:00 pm, and then the second to last train (never take the last one!) back was at 9:15 pm. Segovia is not big at all, but I still wanted to see it all and maximise my time!
The Segovia train station is about 5KM from the centre, so I took a cab to get downtown. The highlight of Segovia is definitely the aqueduct. The aqueduct dates back to the 1st or 2nd century... Can you believe it? The Roman architecture is amazing and unbelievable. From the aqueduct, I decided to make somewhat of a loop around the city. The city was very well marked, so I basically just wandered around, following the landmark signs to guide me.
I came across beautiful walls that line the city that were built when the Catholics re-possessed Spain from the Arabs. The walls lead to gates and arches at certain points too. All of the buildings seem to rush into each other, and the city truly felt like something from a movie.
Besides the aqueduct, I also wanted to visit the Alcazar of Segovia. Alcazar is the Arab word for palace. The Segovia Alcazar is in what I'll call the "big four" of castles in Spain, along with Sevilla's Alcazar, the Alhambra, and the castle in Zaragoza. All of the castles have the classic blend of Spain's "three cultures:" Catholicism, Muslim, and Judaism. I added a 1 euro guided tour to my ticket for the Alcazar, and I was in a tour group with about a dozen middle-aged Spanish men! There were some interesting things in the Alcazar and on the tour, but the highlight for me was definitely the view from the tower.
From the Alcazar, I continued on my loop around the city, finding more of the Arab wall on the other side and working my way back to the centre of the city. I saw the beautiful cathedral (didn't go in- I'm sure it's great but I've spent enough money on Spanish cathedral admission) and took in the aqueducts from another angle.
With about an hour left in the city, I did some shopping and found a painting to add to my travel art collection. I was so excited to find a slushy- in my first week here, it was so hot and I had no appetite, and all I wanted was a slushy! Today was also a holiday in Spain (Día de San Juan), and there were a lot of concerts going on in various plazas in Segovia, so I watched bits of those as I walked around.
I absolutely loved Segovia; it reminded me a lot of Toledo in some ways, but I think I liked it more. The biggest downside was that it was unbelievably touristy. I think the proximity to Madrid makes it an essential day trip for so many visitors. I heard more English than Spanish even on the train and in the city. Four to five hours in the afternoon was perfect timing for the excursion, and I got to check another destination off of my Spanish travel list!
I had mapped out a plan for what I wanted to see in Segovia, knowing that my time would be a bit crunched. Because of my work schedule and travel time to get to the train, I couldn't leave until 4:00 pm, and then the second to last train (never take the last one!) back was at 9:15 pm. Segovia is not big at all, but I still wanted to see it all and maximise my time!
The Segovia train station is about 5KM from the centre, so I took a cab to get downtown. The highlight of Segovia is definitely the aqueduct. The aqueduct dates back to the 1st or 2nd century... Can you believe it? The Roman architecture is amazing and unbelievable. From the aqueduct, I decided to make somewhat of a loop around the city. The city was very well marked, so I basically just wandered around, following the landmark signs to guide me.
I came across beautiful walls that line the city that were built when the Catholics re-possessed Spain from the Arabs. The walls lead to gates and arches at certain points too. All of the buildings seem to rush into each other, and the city truly felt like something from a movie.
From the Alcazar, I continued on my loop around the city, finding more of the Arab wall on the other side and working my way back to the centre of the city. I saw the beautiful cathedral (didn't go in- I'm sure it's great but I've spent enough money on Spanish cathedral admission) and took in the aqueducts from another angle.
With about an hour left in the city, I did some shopping and found a painting to add to my travel art collection. I was so excited to find a slushy- in my first week here, it was so hot and I had no appetite, and all I wanted was a slushy! Today was also a holiday in Spain (Día de San Juan), and there were a lot of concerts going on in various plazas in Segovia, so I watched bits of those as I walked around.
I absolutely loved Segovia; it reminded me a lot of Toledo in some ways, but I think I liked it more. The biggest downside was that it was unbelievably touristy. I think the proximity to Madrid makes it an essential day trip for so many visitors. I heard more English than Spanish even on the train and in the city. Four to five hours in the afternoon was perfect timing for the excursion, and I got to check another destination off of my Spanish travel list!
Comments
Post a Comment