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Published: June 18th 2011
Roman Aqueduct
Segovia's most famous landmark.To save money, I had booked a return flight from Marrakech to London with a ten-hour stopover in Madrid.
Ten hours. I have already seen and done Madrid, so what the hell would I do for those ten hours?
About a week before I left for Morocco, I saw some photographs on Facebook that was posted by my old school friend Mel. In the photos was one of the most prettiest towns I had ever seen with a fully-intact kick-ass Roman aqueduct and a supermassive cathedral. The place was called Segovia, in Spain.
As I wondered how I had managed to miss this place during my tour of Spain four years ago, I checked out its location on Google Maps, hoping by chance that it was close to Madrid. And what do you know, it was only a one-and-a-half hour bus journey away Madrid, with buses leaving every half-hour.
Could I get there and back while managing to see the whole town within ten hours though? According to Lonely Planet it was certainly do-able - it's not the biggest town and the main sights were all within a comfortable walking distance. So it was on like Donkey Kong - if I
Cathedral
The second of Segovia's big trio of sights. could get from
London to Paris in twelve hours then this would be a breeze.
I probably shouldn't have drank all those beers the previous night. I hadn't quite drunk enough beer to make me pass out and it was wishy-washying around my stomach all night and I couldn't sleep, despite having my own room. It seemed to reawaken the stomach bug that I thought I had got over as well - if I was to do this whole Segovia thing today, toilets will not be readily available. Not good.
Even though I never really liked the place, I felt a tinge of sadness walking out of Marrakech's medina for the last time. It was really strange, because I couldn't understand why I would feel this way. Perhaps it was because I was also leaving Morocco and eleven days of adventure behind - that was probably it.
Even though it was 5.45am, there were a load of taxis waiting for me near Cafe Argana - ready to take tourists to the airport for that early morning Ryanair flight to Madrid.
Having pretty much not slept at all, I slept like a rock for the whole flight (which is probably a good thing when
Plaza Mayor
The lovely main square in Segovia directly opposite the cathedral. flying Ryanair) and before I knew it I was in Madrid.
The thing I like about Madrid's Barajas Airport is that it is Madrid's only airport - no two-hour bus into the city from some shithole airport in the wops that only Ryanair fly to. The fact that that it is also a major European hub also played into my hands - it was the perfect airport with all the amenities I needed to fulfil my Segovia mission; clearly marked signs to 24-hour left luggage lockers so that I could leave my bag there; connected to Central Madrid via the metro which meant I could get into town in half-an-hour and for just a couple of Euros - a thousand times better than trying to get into Central London from Heathrow; and most importantly - toilets!
By 1220 I had arrived by metro at Principe Pio, where I was to catch my bus to Segovia. Buying my ticket from the rather grumpy man at the counter I proceeded to platform 13 where I just managed to get on the 1230 bus. The bus seemed strange - there were hardly any seats and it looked more like a city bus. Probably
St Martin's Church
Delightful church and square in one of the picturesque areas of this picturesque town. because is
was a city bus. It was a schoolboy Spanish error - "
plaza 13" means "seat 13" not "platform 13". I went on a bit of a wild goose chase around the shopping plaza and train station at Principe Pio as a result of misunderstanding Spanish directions given to me by the locals, before finally finding the correct platform. I felt a bit embarrassed about my Spanish - having learnt it and gotten quite good at it before, I felt I should've understood a lot more than I did.
I ended up catching the 1300 bus - it would get me to Segovia by 1400 where I would aim to see and do everything in three-and-a-half hours so that I could catch the 1730 bus back to Madrid. That would then get me back to Principe Pio at 1830 giving me plenty of time to get to the airport for my 2155 flight. Easy.
The bus station in Segovia is almost perfectly located about a 10-minute walk from the town centre where you walk along a pedestrian promenade of shops and cafes before arriving at a square. It was a beautiful day and people were enjoying their alfresco
Streets Of Segovia
Delightful medieval cobblestoned street en route to the Alcazar. lunches in the cafes out in the sun.
An unfortunate scar that I had got in Morocco was an instant apprehension about being hassled by locals - I found myself nervously looking around me as I took photos of a couple of old churches just off the promenade. I soon realised the absurdity of my instant reactions and slowly relaxed knowing that I was in Spain now, free from hassle.
In the square they had a large carousel going for the kids, but it wasn't the carousel that caught my eye. Behind it was my first glimpse of the famous Roman aqueduct. 894m long and 28m high, it is a magnificent structure that was built without any mortar to stick the huge slabs of granite together - it was all mathematically engineered to perfection. It is a pretty awe-inspiring sight, and I like to think that I have seen quite a few awe-inspiring sights on my travels thus far.
I then walk up Calle Real, the main street that runs through the old town up towards the cathedral.
Segovia is a beautiful town that still manages to maintain its medieval feel despite the number of modern store fronts that
The Alcazar
The stuff of fairytales. line the streets. There is some really interesting architecture within the town - lovely Spanish balconies, resplendent medieval churches and ancient Roman remnants.
I got to Plaza Mayor, Segovia's main square and home to it's gargantuan cathedral. It was
huge. There are quite a few big churches in Spain though -
Barcelona's La Sagrada,
Madrid's Almudena, Seville's main cathedral, and even
Malaga's was quite big. The cathedral was pretty too, although not the most intricately decorated that I have seen.
I then walked on to the last of Segovia's big trio of sights - the Alcazar.
Now this castle is like something out of a fairytale with it's deep moat, rook towers and pointed turrets.
The theme continues inside with it's red walls, gold ceilings, detailed frescoes, stained-glassed windows, knight armour and cannons, and magnificent hilltop views. One of the best castles I have ever been to, and I like to think that I have seen a few castles on my travels thus far. It was fantastical and almost exactly like what you had always imagined a castle to look like both inside and outside, when you read those old medieval fables when you were a kid. All built on Roman foundations that you could
Looking Out At The Kingdom
View from one of the windows inside the Alcazar. visit as well. Definitely worth seeing.
I won't try to describe it any more - I'll let the photos do the talking. They are, like an old medieval saying, each "worth a thousand words".
I still had about 1 1/2 hours until I had to catch the bus back to Madrid, which just about gave me enough time to have a special Segovian lunch.
Segovia also has quite the reputation for gastronomy and the signature dish that every tourist is supposed to try is the
cochinillo - roast suckling pig.
I chose a little
bodega that advertised cochinillo and had a lovely setting on some steps leading down to the city archives, where unfortunately the rain forced me indoors.
The 'cochi' was nice, if a bit salty - I think that it was deep-fried slightly on the outside too. To be completely honest, I think I still prefer Chinese-style roast pork.
I arrived back at the bus station at 1720 for the 1730 bus back to Madrid, my three-hour wizz around the city more than satisfactory. There was a huge line stretching back about 50m for bus tickets - luckily I had bought a return ticket.
My smugness
Stained Glass Window
Depicting King Alfonso VI. was soon wiped off my face when I tried to board the bus however - I needed to get a stamp from the ticket office for my return ticket. Dammit! The next bus was now at 1800, and for some reason it would only get back to Madrid at 1940, giving me about 1 1/2 hours to pick up my bags and get to the my departure gate at the Barajas Airport. Now that I had to wait in this queue, I didn't even know if I would catch the
proxima autobus. I was thankful for my timing though - the rain outside that had come from nowhere was now torrential - although this could also slow down the bus.
It would be a little tight now, but should still be OK.
My worries were unfounded as it was all quite comfortable in the end - I still had to wait about 30 mins before boarding the plane once I got there.
So my Segovia mission was accomplished quite comfortably and I was glad that I decided to do this instead of kicking my heels for ten hours in an airport. Segovia is just about the perfect day
Throne Room
Where the er, throne is in the Alcazar. trip with its fantastic sights and beautiful town.
My next trip is a long weekend in Rome - so you will be hearing from me again soon.
¡Adios!
Derek
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Congratulations, on your first Featured Blog, on the Front Page. :)