La Dolce Vita - España 2000

On the second day we woke up and took the “Cercanias” train to Segovia.

 

 

Segovia is a historic town nestled in the green hills northwest of Madrid.  It was the city under attack in Ernest Hemingway's classic war novel For Whom the Bell Tolls, and the site of the coronation of Queen Isabella, the lady who sent Christopher Columbus to America. It was also the site of some heroic deeds by Juan Bravo the character I read about in High School.  Segovia dedicated a statue to him, named a street and a theater after him.

 

 

 

The view from beneath one of the soaring arches of Segovia's Roman Aqueduct. The aqueduct was built without mortar, and has been standing for nearly two thousand years.

 

Segovia's most unique feature is its still-functioning ancient aqueduct. It was built by the Romans around 50 AD, and is designed to make water flow uphill. (Don't ask us how that works!) Even more amazing, Segovia's aqueduct was built without mortar. The pillars, and the arches, of the structure were built simply by stacking large stones. (Those Romans were pretty clever, weren't they?)

 

When standing under a tall arch comprised of hundreds of tons of mortar less stone, it's hard not to think, "What am I doing under here? Those rocks are gonna fall on me!!!"

However, it would take profoundly bad luck to be standing under the arch at the precise instant it collapses after standing for twenty centuries. We managed to take the photograph, above, and lived to tell the story.

 

In Segovia, the modern mingles with the medieval. More so than in some of the other Spanish cities, we visited, the modern world has encroached upon the ancient downtown. It's a modern, livable city, suitable for both tourists and residents. It's a lively city, with wide streets reserved for pedestrians.   Segovia is a great town for wandering, shopping, dining, and hanging out.

 

We visited the Alcazar, a  ”Disney like” castle dating from the early 12^th century.   In the middle ages the Alcazar became one of the favorites sites of the monarchs of castile, and being a key fortress for control over Castile, It was from here that Isabel left to be proclaimed Queen on the main square on December 13, 1474.

 

We tried the famous “Cochinillo (Sucking Pig) in a restaurant in Segovia's Plaza Mayor (Main Square).   We sat in the outdoor restaurant and enjoyed the view.  A swarm of small Spanish children were happily running up and down the steps of a large gazebo that sits atop a high platform in the center of the Plaza. The “Cochinillo” was OK, but not really my cup of tea. 

 

We took the Cercanias train back to Madrid and had dinner at El Gaucho with Victor and his parents.  This was the first of many dinner occasions with Victor.  Thank you Victor for your hospitality.