Blogs from Segovia, Castile & León, Spain, Europe

Issy again asks me to steal some buttered toast for her from the breakfast buffet in direct contravention of the hotel’s strict rules about not removing buffet food from the dining room. The elderly guest who seemed to be awake to my scam yesterday is here again so I need a new tactic; I decide to go with sneaking the toast out hidden under my shirt. I don‘t think anyone noticed, but my shirt is now covered in butter. Issy says I’m being ridiculous. That’s easy for her to say; she’s not the one who's going to get locked up, although I suppose they could still get her as an accessory after the fact. Issy is happy to stay in our room munching on her contraband toast so I go out in search of more churches. ... read more

After failing to decipher the mysteries of Segovian eating times last night, I enter the breakfast room at about what I would consider to be a normal breakfast time having no idea what to expect. There are people here eating breakfast, but if they’re staying at a hotel they’re probably not Segovians, so I’m really no closer to solving the mystery. Issy is a bit tired after a long day of travelling yesterday so I set off on my own for the Cathedral. As we saw last night, it is an absolutely massive and spectacular structure that towers over the main square and the rest of the town. I arrive just in time for a tour of the belltower. I’m told that the tour will be in Spanish, which is fine because I’m now an expert ... read more

Wikipédia nous dit : l La vieille ville de Ségovie constitue un des ensembles artistiques et architecturaux les plus riches d'Espagne, dont la beauté est soulignée par la majesté du site sur lequel s'établit la ville : un promontoire rocheux faisant face à la Sierra de Guadarrama. La ville est sur la liste du patrimoine mondial de l'url=https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organisation_des_Nations_unies_pour_l%27%C3%A9ducation,_la_science_et_la_cultureUNESCO depuis1985. De l'époque romaine subsiste un aqueduc dont l'état de conservation est remarquable. Il s'agit de la construction de ce ty... read more

A quick 2 hour train ride through some very scenic countryside, you know, "the rain in Spain falls mainly in the plains" sort of stuff, we arrived at the new and ultra modern train station of Sergovia. Upon exiting the station we faced what appeared to be miles and miles of pastures full of cows! We read many travel logs about how "bus 11" would be there waiting to take you to town. Hmmmmm...we and the 200 other people that just unloaded off the train must have read the same stuff as we all looked at each other and said "where's bus 11?" or ANY bus for that matter....even a cab would suffice! One lonely cab arrived from over the horizon and was immediately mobbed...haha Half the people formed a cab line and the other half ... read more

Geo: 40.9494, -4.11921Today a visit to two towns in the Sierra de Guadarrama, about 80km north west of Madrid.El Escorial's main feature is a massive monastery/royal palace built by Phillip II in 1584. Nearly all Spanish monarchs from that time to the present are buried in the basilica, after their bodies spend 50 years in the Puridero (decaying place). We only looked at the outside, but the guide books indicate that many tourist treasures lie within.About 10km from Escorial is the Valle de Los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen) basilica and monument, built in 1959 by Franco to commentate the 40,000 casualties of the Spanish Civil War who are buried there. The huge basilica (it's crypt is bigger than the one under St Peter's) is wholly excavated into a granite ridge and on the rocky outcrop ... read more