To the Castle!

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Roman ruins and fairytale castles

Where is my prince? We took a daytrip to Segovia today to see the Roman aqueduct (still functional, but not in use) and Alcazar castle (whichWalt Disney used as an inspiration for his castle for DisneyLand). We started at the aqueduct and Jaime (our guide) explained the history of the area and the modern lifestyle they enjoyed 2500 years ago. The aqueduct allowed them indoor plumbing and sewage systems. Jaime is a Ph.D. student studying international relations and had wonderful English. Mary and I were lucky enough to have lunch with him and soak up knowledge from him. Except for his amblyomyopia (lazy eye), he was quite attractive - in a Spanish way.

Anyway, the highlight of the trip was the castle! It was so beautiful. It was so fun to look out the windows and see what kings and queens have looked at for centuries. The moat surrounding the castle was very deep and I wondered if they stocked it with allegators. There was a very interesting display of cannons, artillery, and military training/heros in the back of the castle. My favorite part was the unique mix of Moor, Jewish, and Christian style mixed throughout the castle. Jaime was behind Mary and I most of the time and was able to share with us a lot of knowledge about the castle. He even told us the Drew Barrymore movie, Everafter, was filmed there (as Mary and I suspected). Additionally, the Opus Dei fanatical religious group also had a 12 sided building just to the right of the castle.

Before we left, we climbed to the top of the tower. It was a very steep and narrow. Mary and I had no trouble due to our fantastic cardiovascular health, but some of our group was gasping for air and had to rest before reaching the top. But, wow, was the climb worth it. The sight from the top was breathtaking. Any enemy could be seen for sure. The only part I didn't like was when Jaime snuck up behind me and scared the pants off me while I was looking over the edge. The trip down was just as treacherous as going up but I'm glad we did it.

After that, we headed back through town to window shop and buy a coke. It was a hot, humid day and sun shone heavily. It was grand to sit beneath the aqueduct, sip Coke lights, and watch all the people. At 6PM we boarded the bus to head up into the mountains to see the sights from there. We stopped at a beautiful overpass and took a couple of pictures. As I'm about to get on the bus, one of the other students (Kelsey) says to me that I have a bug on my leg. I look down and there is a giant crawley bug. I scream and brush it away. Not funny. The bugs in Spain are big - yikes.

Back in Toledo, Mary and I head out for dinner at a Chinese place and decide to skip dessert which is listed as "Scum with nuts." We hope it is just a bad translation. Overall, it was a fantastic day in Segovia and will always remember my climb to the top of the tower.

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