October 29, 2022: We took the train to Segovia for a day trip, to see a Roman aqueduct that our Spanish teacher thought was the coolest thing. He was right! The rest of the town was pretty good too.
The Segovia train station is way out in the country. To get to Segovia, we had to wait for a bus.
We got off the bus right at the Roman Aqueduct, and live music was playing somewhere. What a welcome!
Next to the aqueduct a community band was playing Spanish music and popular songs, celebrating something.
The stairs on the left allowed us to climb to a vantage point adjacent to the top of the aqueduct.
The view of the aqueduct from near the top of the stairs. The orchestra is visible in the square, and the restaurant where we had lunch later is behind the orchestra.
We crossed through an arch supporting the aqueduct and then got a view from even closer to the top.
The newer part of Segovia is separated from the old town by the aqueduct.
You can see where the aqueduct turns.
We learned the aqueduct was constructed sometime around the first century C.E. A portion of the aqueduct was damaged by the Moors in 1072 putting it out of commission until the reign of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella (1474-1516), when 36 arches of the aqueduct were rebuilt, with great care taken not to change the original work or style. What amazes us the most is that whole thing was built without mortar.
All that climbing around the aqueduct and thinking about the Romans made us hungry, so we went to this landmark restaurant adjacent to the aqueduct, the Mesón de Cándido.
The restaurant opened in 1786. Yikes.
Lunch was served. Roast suckling pig, and a green salad and fried potatoes. And beer. The pork was indescribably tender and delicious. The meal rivalled in excellence the lamb we had in Valladolid.
As we were eating lunch, the show began.
A member of the Cándido family hobbled up to a table and proceeded to lecture the crowd on how to carve a pig with the edge of a plate.
The piglet’s skin must be crunchy enough to break under the edge of a plate. He proceeded to chop up the pig into serving sizes, threw the plate to the floor, and hobbled away. (Note: that crunchy skin was delectable).
Money from all over the world decorated the ledge on the wall.
Moving along – time for a walk to the cathedral.
The cathedral bell tower.
The Segovia Alcazar is at the far end of the old town area, on a bluff overlooking the countryside. It’s had a varied history, but most recently it was a military academy, before opening to tourists.
Several raptors were cruising the area near the Alcazar.
We crossed a bridge to get into the Alcazar and this is the view over the side.
William and a suit of armor.
Elaine admires the bluff on which the Alcazar is situated, and the countryside beyond.
The view from the Alcazar
We could see this formal garden from above, in the Alcazar.
We were prevented from descending into this well by some well-placed iron bars.
Espalier.
Courtyard at the Alcazar
Ice cream treat while resting before our departure from Segovia. And the beginnings of facial hair.
On our way out of town, we took a picture of this niche containing Christian iconography installed in the 16th century. Wikipedia says the Madonna and child replaced a statue of Hercules, the mythic founder of Segovia.
Back in Madrid, we happened on an archeological display in the subway station under Puerta del Sol.
Madrid: El Rastro, Palacio Real, and the crypt of Almudena Cathedral