Another European Vacation

---

Today is Jim's birthday and we are off to visit the historic city of Segovia. Our first stop is the 1,000 year old royal palace the Alcazar of Segovia which was the former home of kings and queens. The Alcazar looks like a typical fairy tale palace, but it has actually seen many battles and wars. We enjoyed touring and learning about the history of this well preserved castle. From the castle we wandered through the narrow cobblestone street to a square which had an amazing view of the Segovia Cathedral. Before touring the cathedral we stopped and enjoyed a pizza for lunch. Segovia Cathedral, dating back to 1525, is the last true Gothic cathedral in Spain. The sheer size of the cathedral is startling, as well as its many naves and chapels.

The final site we viewed in Segovia was the gigantic aquaduct that crosses through the city. It is believed to have been built in the 1st century AD, and is remarkable well preserved. The impressive construction, with its two tiers of arches, form part of the magnificent setting for the city of Segovia. It is an enormous construction of masonry, 813 m in length, and features double arches and single arches made of solid blocks of stone fit closely together with little or no mortar. At the lowest point of the valley, the Aquaduct stands at a height of 28.5 m above ground. It was amazing as we love seeing Roman ruins.

In the evening we headed off to the old city in the town of Avila to see it's imposing Walls of Avila (11th-14th centuries). The walls enclose 31 hectares with a 2,752m perimeter, 88 towers, 2,500 turrets and 8 monumental gates. It was very impressive to see. We enjoyed a night of tapas and sangria to celebrate Jim's birthday.

---