Segovia

Segovia is one of the top two or three cities that we have visited thus far in Spain. We traveled there on Monday, August 20, 2012, by taking a metro from Pavones to the Chamartín train station, and taking a train from there to Segovia. We arrived around 10:00 am, and took Bus 8 to the amazing Aqueduct of Segovia:

 

The Roman Aqueduct of Segovia was built at the end of the 1st century or early 2nd century. It is the most important work of Roman engineering in Spain and the largest and best preserved Roman aqueduct in the world. The aqueduct was built with about 25,000 granite blocks fitted together without any mortar. It has a length of 2680 feet, consists of more than 170 arches, and reaches a height of 95 feet at the Plaza de Azoguejo. Here is another view of the Aqueduct:

 

After taking pictures of the Aqueduct, we stopped at a little restaurant that served thick hot chocolate and churros, a popular Spanish treat:

 

We are still wondering how the stones in the aqueduct remain together with not one bit of mortar:

 

The Aqueduct of Segovia and the Plaza de Azoguejo (on the other side of the aqueduct) in Segovia, Castilla y León, Spain: 

 

The Catedral de Segovia:

 A view of the old city wall and city of Segovia from the Plaza de la Reina Victoria Eugenia near the Alcázar.

 

The Alcázar de Segovia is shown below. Alcázar is an Arab word meaning castle. From Wiki: Rising out on a rocky crag above the confluence of the rivers Eresma and Clamores near the Guadarrama mountains, it is one of the most distinctive castle-palaces in Spain by virtue of its shape – like the bow of a ship. The Alcázar was originally built as a fortress but has served as a royal palace, a state prison, a Royal Artillery College and a military academy since then.

 

Ramparts of the Moorish castle, Alcázar of Segovia: 

 

Another view of the old city wall and cathedral tower of Segovia.

 

The ancient San Miguel Church of Segovia: 

 

After visiting Segovia, we traveled by bus to the city of La Granja, where we enjoyed a visit to the gardens at the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso:

 

The magnificent tree in front of the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, La Granja, Spain:

 

Fuente "Los baños de Diana," La Granja, Spain. The fountains were turned off while we were there (and the castle was closed because it was Monday) but we enjoyed the fountain sculptures and the gardens, patterned after the more famous Chateau Versailles, France: 

 

Gardens and fountains at La Granja: 

 

Fuente "el Canastillo," with the Sierra de Guadarrama in the background:

 

One last view of the magnificent Acueducto de Segovia before we headed back to Madrid:

It's no wonder that Segovia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most visited cities in Spain. For more pictures, click here.