Segovia - home of the amazing aqueduct

Segovia was a day trip that we took from Madrid prior to heading to Lisbon, Portugal. We left our two friends (baggage 1 and 2) for this leg of the trip as we thought that the wheels could use some R&R. So with little more than my day pack and our camera, we left Madrid hoping to go to Toledo for the day, but the train reservations would not work with our pre-booked trip to Portugal that night. We opted for Segovia instead. The 12:10 train to Segovia meant that we had to wait at the train station for about an hour or so. Which was fine with us as it gave us some time to sit back and enjoy yet another café con leche (I think that Rav is addicted to this stuff). The slow moving train stopped quite frequently along our journey through the desert landscape. We did manage to see a bit of the wild life, as there appeared to be a deer sanctuary along the way. We arrived in Segovia along with the clouds and wind, making it rather cold in shorts and sandals. As we waited for the bus to take us into town and the information center, we met a lovely Canadian couple from Toronto. It was only later through our conversations on the train back to Madrid that we became better aquatinted.

There was not much to Segovia but it is a rather charming little town. The most emblematic of all the architectural structures to seen in Segovia is the aqueduct. The aqueduct was in all likelihood erected in the 1st century A.D. This most impressive work of engineering supplied water to the high lying parts of the town, at the time occupied by the Roman military headquarters and today the site of the Alcazar. From its source at the Fuenfria River some 14 km. away, to the point at which it enters the town, the aqueduct is in fact an underground channel capable of transporting up to 30 liters of water per second. The free standing arcade gracing its last kilometer features over 20,000 granite blocks that are held together without any kind of binding agent or mortar. Comprising of 120 pillars and 166 arches, it stands at 28 m tall. It is a marvelous site to see, and the fact that it still stands today is attributed to the Roman’s understanding of stone construction and the mastering of the arch.

The Aqueduct with its arches and pillars

One of the many churches seen through the arches of the aqueduct

It is amazing to see that there is no mortar holding up any of the blocks, just geometry and the shear weight of the material

An odd statue – children suckling on what appears to be a dog. This was at the center of town

Other building of note is the Cathedral, it is a massive yet harmonious late Gothic limestone structure that is known as the Cathedral of Segovia. Erected in 1525 to make amends for the damage done to it during the 12th century. We also went in to see the interior but the inside was just so dark that the images did not really work. It was rather bland any ways. The exterior was the best part of the Cathedral. Throughout this small town, there are 18 churches in all, ranging in size and grandeur.

Rav in front of the Cathedral

The Bell tower as seen through the cloister

Although this is not a church, it is Casa de Los Picos - Diamond shape studs on the main façade. It is the first time we had seen this type of architecture

We wanted to visit the Alcazar – a Castle Palace but it was closed, so that was a bit of a let down. On the other hand the walk through the town and then through the hillside was a great way to burn off a late lunch.

Chris in front of the closed Castle

It was a day well spent seeing a different part of Spain that did not have the big city feel. We are looking forward to Lisbon, but not the 10 hour over night train ride (frankly we are a little sick of the train and would do almost anything to be on a plane or even a bus). Lisbon here we come!

Chunger the unemployed bum