The Iberian Jet Set (Part 9): Segovia - The City of the Aqueduct and Suckling Pigs

- November 30, 20156, Wednesday.

- Though still tired from my trip the day before to the former capital of Islamic Spain, Cordoba, I was still full of energy to explore another city in another Spanish region - Castile and Leon's (Castilla y Leon's) Segovia. This city, the capital of the Province of Segovia, is famous for two things: its Aqueduct and its sucking pig or "cochinillo" (click here to see what cochinillo looks like.)

- The trains from Madrid to Segovia start/stop at Madrid's Chamartin Station. As mentioned in the previous part (click here,) Madrid's train hubs are in the Chamartin Station located in the northern part of Madrid, and the Puerta de Atocha Station, located in the southern part of Madrid. Both are accessible through their respective metro stations. As before, I pre-booked my ticket, and got to the station in time for a simple breakfast in one of the cafes before boarding the train. It only took 30 minutes from Madrid to Segovia City. Also, there's one thing to know about traveling to Segovia. Just like Madrid, Segovia also has two main train hubs. The Segovia Train Station and the Segovia-Guiomar Train Station. The former is closer to the city, but is a hub for the slower trains. The latter, the Segovia-Guiomar Station, is the stop for the high-speed trains like the one I was on. However, the Segovia-Guiomar Station is far from the city proper. From the Segovia-Guiomar Station, one would need to take Bus 11 from the bus stop right in front of the station to the Aqueduct, in front of Plaza del Azoguejo.

- On the way to the city from the station, it was only then that I found out that Segovia was a very high city, so much so that the clouds were low (or rather because the city was high,) and snow-capped mountains were visible from the city.

Welcome to Segovia!!

Snow-capped mountains.

On the way to the city. Pardon the hair; the wind was so strong it almost (literally) blew me away.

- It was a good decision to arrive early, since I was able to take good photos of the Aqueduct in peace without a lot of photobombers. What is called the aqueduct is actually the bridge that carries the aqueduct. The aqueduct, probably built during the 1st-century AD (date of construction still debated,) delivered water from the Frio River (Rio Frio) to the city. It also had some kind of filter system, so the water would be cleaner once the water reaches the city.

Capitoline Wolf statue in the city.

The Aqueduct (or rather, the Roman bridge carrying the aqueduct.)

- Near the aqueduct is the Iglesia de Santos Justo y Pastor. This small tucked-away church was a 12th-century romanesque church with a statue of the Virgin and Child and the bishop. It is also known for its preserved wall and ceiling paintings. However, I noticed that churches and some landmarks away from the main/big cities (like Barcelona or Madrid) strictly follow their "siesta" break after lunch and before the late afternoon. I wasn't able to catch this church open because I went too early, and later on, went too late. Well, it was a minor destination compared to the other places I'd visit for the day.

Iglesia de Santos Justo y Pastor.

- After visiting the church, I went back to the Aqueduct and went up the bridge to see a nice view of the city and carry on with my adventure. From the aqueduct, I went to the Zuloaga Museum, which is located inside the 11th-century San Juan de los Caballeros Church. It is open only on Wednesdays, which was why I scheduled my visit to Segovia on a Wednesday.

- While walking around, I also realized that since Segovia was on top of a mountain, the roads, like in Portugal's Alfama (click here) or Sintra (click here,) would also slope up and down. However, the roas in Segovia weren't as slopey as in Portugal, and the roads were well-cobblestoned so the roads were easier to walk on.

View of Segovia from above the bridge. Look at the snow-capped mountain.

Inside the Zuloaga Museum. These are Christ'as disciples.

Tiled shelf.

Lacquerware.

The museum/church from outside.

- Continuing my journey, I found myself at the Plazuela de San Martin, with the 12th-century San Martin Church beside it. There were vague pieces of information about the visiting hours of the church, and even as I asked some of the Segovians I was able to talk to (like in shops,) no one knew for certain as well. Anyway, the facade was nice, though from those who were fortunate enough to visit the interior, it would've been nicer, as if it's "going back a millennium," according to one of the comments that I saw online.

Juan Bravo, leader of the Revolt of the Comuneros. 

San Martin Church.

Sphinx.

- Straight ahead from the church is the Segovia Cathedral in front of Plaza Mayor. This gothic-style cathedral, built in the mid 1500s, was strangely far from the alcazar/palace, as most main cathedrals are usually located near or around the palace. In this case, the original Segovia Cathedral was right beside the Alcazar of Segovia, but a rebellion in the early 1500s urged the government to move the location of the church.

Gazevbo at Plaza Mayor.

Segovia Cathedral.

Golden church organ.

Old hymn book.

Statues at the cloisters.

Cloisters.

Tomb.

Church tower.

One of the special chapels inside the church.

Gargoyle (or at least I think you can call it that.)

- From the cathedral, I made a brief stopover at the San Esteban Church Tower. Also a romanesque tower, it was built in the 12th century. Today, I'm not sure why, but people are not allowed inside, and can only see the facade of the church.

San Esteban Church,

- Continuing my way, I decided to to visit the farthest points of the city, so I can spend the rest of the day concentrating on the places closer to the bus stop so it wouldn't be difficult for me to catch the bus to the train station. One of the farther landmarks in the city is the Segovia Museum, also known as Casa del Sol. The museum is quite near the Alcazar (more on this after the museum.) The museum history itself is intersting, as it is was founded in the late 1800s, though it changed locations through the years. Despite the size of the museum, there are tons of exhibits on Segovia's history inside.

Puerta de San Andres, on the way to the msueum.

Segovial Museum.

Flags of Spain and Castile and Leon.

Roman-era tools.

Old loom.

View of the Alcazar from the museum.

Segovian female costume.

Segovian male costume.

- The main highlight of my Segovia trip was my next destination - the Alcazar of Segovia. The alcazar was initially a Roman fort, then later on a Muslim fort, but its current appearance took shape during the 13th century onwards. The castle as it is seen today is the result of the renovation during the 1800s after a fire that destroyed the castle. Although this is distinct from other castles in Spain because of its appearance being inspired from the bow of a ship, the Alcazar is widely known for being one of the inspirations of Disney's Cinederella Castle (the one found in Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland) and to a certain extent, the facade of Harry Potter's Hogwarts (click here to see "Hogwarts" in Universal Studios Hollywood.) The inspiration is more apparent when one sees the Alcazar from the lower grounds, which I wasn't able to do since it would mean me needing to go downhill and far away (again due to trigonometric reasons) to see the back side of the Alcazar (photos from that angle, however, can be easily Googled.)

See the inspirations for the Disney's Cinderella's Castyle and Harry Potter's Hogwarts?

Well, maybe not from this angle.

Tower of John II of Castile.

People-less; it was during lunch time.

- I had a simple lunch at the restaurant at the visitor center of the Alcazar, since I was very hungry and it was way past my usual lunchtime. Though I really wished to have some Segovian cochinillo, I had no time to look for my suckling pig since the Alcazar far away from everything else. This is one of the things about me when I travel; I prioritize the historical sites more than food and my meals, with a few exceptions like Madrid's Sobrino de Botin (click here), because I am always afraid of running out of time. I normally eat practically during lunch (i.e. the nearest, the more convenient, though better if authentic of course,) then I have a better meal during dinner, when I'm more relaxed because I have finished my itinerary for the day. (A nice dinner is also usually the way I reward myself at the end of the day when I'm traveling.)

- After lunch I entered the Alcazar to see the well-preserved rooms and collections. I also bought the tower ticket which I initially regretted because I had to climb flights and flights of stairs. The view on top, however, was priceless (and so I did not regret anymore.)

Knights.

Stained glass.

Throne room.

Look at that ceiling!!

Past rulers.

People were so small back then.

View from the tower.

See the cathedral?

Spires.

- I walked back to the main city center after visiting the Alcazar, and passed by Casa de los Picos (House of Peaks,) a 15th-century house turned into an art gallery, known for its peaked walls. Because it was siesta time, it was closed when I got there. I later visited the San Millan Church which was closer to the Aqueduct, built during the early 1100s, making it one of the oldest churches in the city. It was also closed because of siesta time. (The Spanish siesta time was actually frustrating because many stores and some landmarks were closed during this prime time of the day/afternoon. They would usually be open during the odd mid-morning or early evening hours, which can be hard to work with for a tourist with limited time.)

Casa de los Picos.

San Millan Church.

- Seeing that I had some time left, I decided to go to a palace outside Segovia City, in San Idelfonso City. This palace is called Palacio Real de La Granja de San Idelfonso (or "La Granja" for short.) It was the summer resident of the Spanish royalty since it was built in the 18th century. Today, visitors can both enjoy the well-preserved and usually-mythology-themed rooms (but no photography,) and the different gardens. During the summer, more of these gardens, including the labyrinth, are open. The only concern with the palace was that it was far from Segovia City, and so I had to hail a cab from the Aqueduct. The bigger problem, like the Medina Azahara in Cordoba (click here,) was that even though the palace wasn't in the middle of nowhere, it is extremely difficult to find transportation back to Segovia City. I asked my kind driver Antonio to wait for me at the parking lot so he could drive me back to Segovia City.

While inside the cab. Else must be up there. 

Sphinx outside the palace.

The ponds are always decorated with Roman gods.

Neptune.

The palace from the backside.

Details.

It is autumn.

I suddenly rememberd Princess Diaries and the Genovian pears.

Dramatic fountain centerpiece.

The palace once more.

Model of the whole La Granja palace.

This somehow reminds me a bit of the Thai Grand Palace (click here,) or Bangpa-In Palace (click here.)

- After nearly an hour, Antonio drove me back to the Aqueduct, and since I had more than an hour to spare, I tried my best to find my Segovian cochinillo (though an odd time for either lunch or dinner.) Most restaurants at that time were also closed, so I was left with doing nothing but mindlessly wandering the streets of Segovia in case I still have a chance to find my cochinillo. To no avail, I hopped on bus 11 once more to go to the Segovia-Guiomar station. Though it was one of my regrets in Segovia to not try their cochinillo, at the very least I was able to try cochinillo in Sobrino de Botin in Madrid two days prior. (And maybe, I can also use this as an excuse to go back to Segovia in the future.)

San Martin Church with the Segovia Cathedral at the back.)

Segovia Cathedral from afar.

Leaving Segovia.

Saw this at the train station in Madrid. We used to read back issues of these for Spanish class.

- Once again I slept through my way back to Madrid, and ate dinner near halfway between my hostel and Puerta del Sol. I needed to go back to my hostel and rest again for the third day of my day-trip series. For my last day trip I was headed to the former capital of Spain - Toledo!! (Please don't forget to read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here  Part 5 here, Part 6 here, Part 7 here, Part 8 here, Part 10 here, and Part 11 here!!)