Tag Archives: churches

Segovia

If I were to describe the architecture of Spain to anybody based on my ten days here, all I could possibly say is : cobblestones, castles, and cathedrals galore! This country is sprinkled with some of the most beautiful churches and palaces – I think the Queen of England would be jealous. Maybe it’s just our amazing location, but everywhere you look theres another church or monument to explore. Last Friday NYU took all 140-somethings of us to Segovia, a beautiful town situated about an hour- hour and a half outside Madrid. After an early wake up and a quick nap on the bus, we were in Segovia, home to the El Alcázar – the inspiration for the Disney castle. As soon as we stepped off the bus, we were immediately immersed in history. A look to the North and you saw beautiful Alcázar Castle, to the west snow capped mountains, and a look about 100 meters up was a beautiful fortified city.

In front of El Alcázar

In front of El Alcázar

Out to the West

Out to the West

View of El Catedral from El Alcázar

View of El Catedral from El Alcázar

Out to the West

Out to the West

We entered the ancient city, built in the eleventh century, by way of stairs. Though the numerous stairs seemed endless, they were a welcome site due the frigid temperatures and rain that seemed to come and go every ten minutes. Our tour guide began by taking note of the many arches that we passed under. The city of Segovia underwent numerous changes of power so you can definitely see the impact on architecture. First stop was El Alcázar – a beautiful castle. There was tons of gold encrusted ceilings, caballeros in armor, a church inside the castle and a beautiful view from the top!  I can definitely see the similarities between the Disney castle and the Alcazar – the sharp slate spires being the most prominent distinction.

Gold in the Castle

Gold in the Castle

El Catedral

El Catedral

Next up we headed to El Catedral de Segovia. Though the interior was no where near similar to the beauty and impressiveness of Notre Dame in Paris, it was still remarkable. The one question that kept popping up into my mind was “How did they do this without modern technology?” I know that I for one that I am not cut out to live in the Stone Ages.

Panorama of El Aqueducto

Panorama of El Aqueducto

Our final major stop in Segovia also happened to be our meeting stop before returning back to Madrid. To the Southwest of Segovia are Roman Aqueducts which are still working! I don’t know what’s more impressive – the fact that they’re still functioning or that they’re still standing. From what I’ve experienced thus far, Spain knows how to take care of their ancient culture. Before boarding the bus, a group of us found a cute little restaurant and tried el menú del día. Though we did not get to try the famous suckling pig, we did have fun trying to decode the menu and ended up with some pretty delicious comida including our postre (dessert) which was similar to a taken apart cannoli with hot chocolate drizzled on top.

Our Dessert

Our Dessert

A quick bus ride back into the city found us at the end of Gran Vía. Our “group” consisting of the Amherst boys, a group of guys from NYU and us headed back into Sol. Our tired legs yearned to rest so we took a glorious siesta before rewarding ourselves with a night out on the town.  That’s all from Segovia – mucho amor!