Tuesday 17 May 2011

Segovia...

We had planned on taking a day trip to Toledo day, but we changed our plans to fit with the bus/train timetable and headed off to Segovia to see the famous aqueduct instead.

Segovia is picturesque, with quaint cobble streets and beautiful sandstone buildings and churches. The aqueduct is quite spectacular. It was built by the Romans round 50BC, and is made up of 20 000 blocks of granite and not a single drop of mortar! The aqueduct spans 813m and reaches a height of 29m. It was capable of transporting almost 30 litres of water per second to the Alcazar.

We made our way through the town, stopping at the Cathedral of Segovia, which was built between 1525 and 1768. It is a beautiful example of the gothic style.

We then headed to the far end of the town and the Alcazar, whose spiral towers and pointed turrets are said to have inspired Walt Disney's castle. The original 11th century fortification was beautified in the 13th century and successive monarchs have each increased the grandeur of the castle. We decided against going in and touring the interior, mainly for fear of being overrun by the hordes of school children who had descended on the town.

Ok, so this isn't our photo, but it gives a wonderful sense of the grandeur of the Alcazar.

We slowly made our way back into town in search of the Segovian speciality...roast suckling pig! We found a lovely little restuarant overlooking the Plaza Mayor, and settled in for a long, lazy lunch. While we weren't brave enough to take on the entire pig, our little leg was perhaps the tastiest piece of pig to have come my way!