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Viva the Spanish holiday!
Hombre, do these people know how to take vacation seriously. Only two weeks ago was Semana Santa, and here we are with another four day weekend. Monday May 1st is Dia del Trabajador for the whole country, Tuesday May 2nd is the Madrileno celebration of El dos de mayo (commemorating the Madrilian uprising against Napoleon), Sunday May 7 is Dia de la Madre (signifying that no one will work the following Monday), and Monday May 15 is the day the Madrilenos celebrate Madrid's patron saint, San Isidro. Even though it's the day of Mexican independence, it wouldn't have surprised me if the Spanish celebrated Cinco de Mayo, just for another excuse to have a
fiesta!
To kick the weekend off right, Tracie and I took a day trip to Segovia on Saturday. What a mistake it was to buy our train tickets on the first day of a four day weekend! With all the
gente, the Renfe train station was more like a zoo than the tropical rainforest I remembered. When finally our train boarded, I was excited to see that it was of the "local" variety - I assumed that this would indicate a quick
zip to Segovia, but I was severely mistaken.
Long as it was, the two hour ride to Segovia was nonetheless lovely, and resolved an important mystery for me.
Queso manchego is one of the gustatory delights in Spain, but driving through La Mancha during our Semana Santa vacation I had seen nary a
vaca. Now, on the rolling hills of Castile, I saw the lovely creatures that provide us with the heavenly cheese.
The first order of business when we arrived in Segovia was to find the 1st century Roman Acueducto. Trust me, you can't miss it. The 28 meter tall, 894 meter long Acueducto stands impressively over the town plaza. Constucted out of huge square stones without an ounce of mortar, it's the subject of many an architect's and photographer's fancy. And amateur
fotografo that I am, it kept me busy. I zipped up and down the plaza,
sacando fotos of the mighty structure. It is just
demasiado grande to capture. It defied the limits of even my panoramic multi-frame shots!
At the foot of the acueducto sits a charming merry-go-round; children ride ostriches, dinosoar skeletons and gold-fish shaped blimps round and round next to the
Acueducto
The pictures just can't do it justice. ancient structure.
After snapping record numbers of photographs, Tracie and I sat in the plaza for lunch, enjoying the beautiful spring weather in the
sombra of the acueducto.
When then
tinto was gone, we wandered on to Segovia's Catedral. Pristine white sculpted spires make this the stunning centerpiece of the
pueblo.
Finally we went to Segovia's Alcazar, which Tracie described as a Magic Kingdom castle for adults. And it's true. It's a picturesque fairybook castle that overlooks the river and offers a spectacular view of the Catedral. We went inside and stood face to face with medieval knights. The metal suits were suprisingly tiny; I know there's a stereotype that Spanish men are short, but they can't have been THAT short! With the best use of my imagination, only a wee scrawny lad could possibly squeeze into one of these sardine cans. We posed with the phantom soldiers and enjoyed medieval tapestries and furniture.
Next we climbed the narrow spiraling stairway up to the top of the Alcazar. The
torre staricase is not for the faint of heart, weak of thighs, or wide of stomach. Claustrophobics beware! The spiral will only accomodate a person either going
Catedral de Segovia
This photo was taken from an inner courtyard. up or going down at any one time, and once you've started, you can't turn back. Each step is about a foot high, so by the time you've climbed the 150-some stairs, you've got buns of steel.
The view from the top was well worth the climb. Offering 360-degree
vistas of Segovia and the surrounding hillsides, I was glad we had
subido. The view of the
montanas in the distance behind the Catedral reminded me of Denver and made me feel at home.
At last it was time to
bajar, so we filed down the
torre and walked back past the Acueducto to our train. Our legs were tired, our cameras were full, and our hearts were content, so we knew it was time to go home.
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keith
non-member comment
segovia
wonderful tour...feel llike i was there myself. pictures are fantastic an the description wonderful...see what i missed when i was in spain... maybe i'll jump on a flight and be right over...keep up the great work.