A Day Trip to Segovia

Somehow we neglected to write about our day trip to Segovia in June as part of our trip to the north of Spain. While we were staying in Valladolid we took a train to the Segovia station and then boarded a bus for a short trip into the town.

The bus is basically a tourist transport from the station to the ancient Roman aqueduct. This magnificent structure is still standing since its erection in the first century A.D. and was still in use until 1973. It is one of the best-preserved Roman aqueducts in the world and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Amazingly, the aqueduct is constructed of unmortared granite blocks. At one time it transported water from the Rio Frio some 17 km from the city.

After spending some time admiring the engineering that allowed the construction of this marvel, we walked up into the city through winding streets surrounded by old stone buildings. As would be expected, the tourist industry is the focus of most of the shops along the main road.

A view of the cathedral from the town square.

At the top of the hill you arrive at a large square dominated by the Catedral de Segovia. We knew we wanted to visit the cathedral, but decided to move past it to the Alcazar de Segovia, a medieval castle.

The Alcazar de Segovia

The castle has existed since at least the 12th century, and is one of the most renowned medieval castles globally and one of the most visited landmarks in Spain.

The Throne Room.

The Hall of Kings. Statues of the past rulers of Castile line the four walls of the room.

Stained glass depicting King Alfonso VI

Originally built as a military camp, it has served many purposes over the years including as a royal residence, an artillery stations, a military academy, a prison and now a museum and military archive. An audioguide tour provided us descriptions and histories of the rooms as we moved through them.

Leaving the castle, we found a place for lunch, then headed to the cathedral.

The altar of the cathedral.

The very large organ in the cathedral.

Construction of the cathedral was begun in 1525. After three building campaigns, it was finally consecrated in 1768. It is the last to be built in the Gothic style in Spain. It covers 14,025 square meters (almost 151,000 sf) and has 22 chapels.

One of the ornate chapels.

Depiction of Jesus. We debated whether or not the modesty cloth was original.

Some art work in one of the chapels.

We find cathedrals fascinating for both their architecture and their art. Each one is unique and we find the chapels especially interesting as some are quite ornate. An added bonus is that the buildings are a cool refuge from the heat outside.

This cathedral also has an exhibition gallery housing various religious works of art. The collection is small, but the art is quite beautiful.

Having had our fill of history, we head back to the area of the aqueduct to board the bus taking us back to the train station. A long, but very interesting day of exploration.

Salud.