Day 55: Exploring Segovia

Time to explore Segovia, after our sort-of rest day yesterday! We had a hotel breakfast (first of the trip!!), got ready and headed into the main town about 15 minutes drive away. Segovia is of course a UNESCO World Heritage listed town for a few reasons - firstly because there's a giant Roman aqueduct, still there and in great condition.

The aqueduct was the first part of the town we encountered and we parked just near it. It's absolutely huge, probably 30 metres high, and the remaining section is several hundred metres long. Originally it travelled for 15 kilometres, but of course only the last few hundred metres are left. Extremely impressive though, and leaves you thinking about how all of this construction was achieved with pre-industrial techniques.

Next up we wandered into the old town proper, where some of the walls still remain and many of the houses date to the medieval era. The most impressive parts are the cathedral - at 90 metres the spire was once the tallest structure in Spain, and the Alcazar or royal palace. We didn't go inside either building as Schnitzel was with us and wasn't permitted, but contented ourselves with admiring from the outside. And besides - we've been in a lot of cathedrals now, and several alcazars as well!

Had a long lunch and a couple of drinks in a restaurant on the main square, enjoying the warm sunshine and watching the world go by. Schnitzel was behaving himself as well; the only bad habit he's picked up is that he barks at us while we eat, usually for attention. It takes a lot of ignoring him before he settles down again, but at least you don't get the sidelong glances and raised eyebrows that you get in Australia.

Back to the car where we drove a lap around the exterior of the town, hunting for a good vantage point. Eventually we found one, where you could see the front of the alcazar arched like a ship's bow off the front of a cliff, in a way that wasn't visible from inside the town. Very impressive.

Into the car again and back to the hotel where we settled down for a bit - Shandos had a nap and I did some editing and writing. Headed out for dinner around 9pm where we visited the hotel restaurant for a small splurge on suckling pig. Very tasty!Read more