Day Tripping: Segovia

I didn't write this...

Having not planned anything too extravagant after my trip to Italy, a hastily arranged day trip to Segovia was right up my alley. Best of all was the chance to go with my friend Dario!

 

Having purchased the two bus tickets for a 8:00 am departure, I woke up Saturday morning with just enough time to get to the bus station. Hoping to avoid the chaos of the metro ride to the Principe Pio bus interchange (never before had I seen a metro train with more people crammed in), I took an alternate route hoping to at least replicate the transit time. Arriving with 15 minutes to spare, I checked my phone to find a message from Dario waiting for me at the Sol train station (the one closest to my apartment)! In few words, I told him to run! Thankfully, he arrived just in time and we departed on the 1.5 hour journey. Still waking up, I used the opportunity to catch a few z's much like the other patrons on the bus.

 

Usually when I plan trips, I always expect something to go wrong. I thought that passed when Dario almost missed the bus. Leaving the clear skies and 45 degree temperatures of Madrid, I opened my eyes half an hour later to find SNOW! Yes, it was snowing in Segovia. My luck had just ran out. Recalling the weather report, I had noticed the sunny sky forecast while forgetting to pay too much attention to the 30 degree temperatures. Still, I was dressed as warmly as possible for the occasion and same with Dario.

SNOW!

Arriving in Segovia, a small layer of snow covered some parts of the city but the sidewalks were clear. We were greeted by gusts of cold air exiting the warm bus.

 

For the occasion, I had torn pages out of my large Spain guide about Segovia, around 8 in total.

 

Our first stop was the most significant landmark of the city: the Roman Aqueduct. The aqueduct spans a few miles and is around five stories at its highest point. Immediately visible from the main road to the bus station, it is imposing when you approach. The fun fact about this aqueduct is its lack of mortar. Having survived this long is truly a statement to the quality of Roman engineering. And we still don't have a clue how it was built.

Climbing a long stairway, we proceeded to investigate the design further.

 

Proceeding toward the city center, their own Plaza Mayor, we sought a cafe and some hot beverages. We found one restaurant and ordered hot chocolate. Dario provided some cookies to perfectly complement the sweet drinks.

 

A little warmed up, our next stop was the Cathedral of Segovia. Quite simply, I have seen too many cathedrals to this point. From the outside, this cathedral is the most 'intimidating' I have seen. From the inside, it is the most simple.Walking around all of the chapels  the most famous holds an ornate statue of Mary with a variety of paintings. Of these paintings, the most distinct is the "Tree of Life." The imagery is very literal. While very beautiful on the inside, the cathedral was not heated at all! Walking around the church only provided so much protection from the cold.

Looks like a fortress...

 

Tree of Life

Walking around the church once more for pictures, we proceeded back toward the aqueduct to follow the recommended walking guide from my book. The route took us along the main pedestrian walkway, passing a few significant buildings with original Moorish architecture. Before returning to the Plaza Mayor, Dario noticed a museum and we agreed to seek some shelter there. The Esteban Vicente Contemporary Art Museum is the main art museum of the city. For the two eur student entry fee, the main collection is of works by Vicente, a native of Segovia who painted in Madrid. The works, honestly, are rather bland and insignificant in the greater art scheme. Funny thing was that we were the only two people in the whole museum. A museum guard followed us around the entire time. Honestly, the most useful part of the museum was its bathroom (and some TripAdvisor reviews agree with me). Still, it was a good opportunity to warm up again before continuing. 

Leaving the museum, we now sought a place to dine for lunch. With the sun finally peaking through the clouds, its presence made a world of difference as we walked down the streets. Returning to the aqueduct, we searched for some of the recommended restaurants from my guidebook. The signature food of Segovia is "cochinillo," roast suckling pig. Finding cochinillo was a must for our dining decision. One was the most famous restaurant in the whole city, but a little too expensive for our budget. Another was closed... like completely closed. The final one was too far away, so we decided on a restaurant with a fixed menu with cochinillo for only 21 euro.

Seated at an uncomfortably romantic two person table with a view of the aqueduct, the fixed menu began with bread and win followed by 'sopa castellana' (castillian soup) of ham, bread, and a fried egg in broth. While an interesting flavor combination  it is not my favorite. The cochinillo was the main dish. Dario had his served with a foot still intact. Cochinillo is a very tender pork easy enough to eat only with a fork. Initially, the taste did not greet me favorably. Later, and when mixed with the cooking juices, it really tasted good. For desert, a less-than-interesting vanilla custard. Overall, the cochinillo was the best part and probably worth the price we paid for the entire meal.

Our 'table'

Sopa Castellana

Dario's portion had a foot...

Dario and I wanted to save the remaining afternoon for the last main attraction of the city: the Alcazar. The Alcazar (Arabic for castle) sits on the edge of the plateau that is Segovia, overlooking the gently rolling hills below. Slightly above is the city center.

The Alcazar has two distinct parts requiring separate tickets: the castle rooms and tower. Thankfully the student rate of 5 eur provided access to everything. With access controlled by metro-like turntables  we entered the castle rooms first. Walking through the castle is very easy. While each room was beautifully decorated, the Moorish ceilings were the most unique. The most distinct room was the 'Room of Kings' decorated with around 50 miniatures of famous kings and queens of time. Interesting to notice how each king carried a sword in his right hand while no queen (around six in total) carried an armament. Lest we forget, the room immediately after was a chapel. The final two rooms were part of the armament museum, including the royal artillery museum. This was one of the first museums where nothing was written in English. Almost makes things a little disappointing when you need thrice as much time to read something! After glancing over the museum collection, we proceeded to the castle tower. We were provided ample warning about the 154 step climb to the tower by several signs. The warning was somewhat merited because the main climb was up a rather claustrophobic spiral staircase. The end result were some of he best uninterrupted views of the city center and surrounding terrain. Many photos were taken here. For as nice as the views were, the stiff wind gusts prevented us from lingering too much longer! 

All 154 of them....

View of the Cathedral and city center

Lest I remind you that the castle was not heated, our final destination was a bakery recommended by my guidebook (because we were going to eat at at least one place my book recommended). At the Limón y Menta bakery, I ordered the traditional ponche segoviano, or marzipan cake. Honestly, while very rich and sweet, marzipan is not my style no matter what a guidebook says. Dario was happy to finish everything and we both concluded the snack with real traditional hot chocolate. 

Still without sensation in some of our appendages, we returned to the aqueduct for a few more photos in the sunlight before departing on the next bus to Madrid. 

One picture together

Overall, Segovia is another nice quaint Spanish town for someone interested in visiting the Sierra of Spain. I was funny to overhear some of the other tourists, in English, proclaim how nice the city must be in some warmer weather. I do agree! Still, for the price and close proximity, the city is a little gem and worth a visit to see its three distinct monuments. I will save the better weather for a better town.

I almost forgot! My new tradition is getting a keychain in each city I visit. Starting after my visit to Salamanca (guess I'll need to go back to Toledo), I hope to have a large collection by the time I leave.

So far I have:

Salamanca: La Rana de Salamanca

Rome: tri-color Italian flag shield

And for Segovia: a section of aqueduct 

Sunset on the return trip... beautiful