Segovia

On Friday I took a lovely little day trip to Segovia, a small city to the Northwest of Madrid in Castilla y León. The myth is that Hercules founded the city, but the truth is that Celtiberian tribes established it. Later, the Romans came through, then the Christian resistance against the Moors, and later Spanish royalty.

Upon arriving, I made my way to the impressive Roman aqueduct before deciding it was time to take a break for second breakfast. After snacking on a napolitana de chocolate, I rushed over to the Alcázar in order to beat the crowds of Japanese tourists and American undergrads. I remember visiting all of these places back in high school, but they were just as impressive the second time around (especially since my memory is a little fuzzy). The Alcázar is a beautiful castle rumored to be the basis for Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle. The outside is all turrets and moat, and the inside is full of tapestries, ornate ceilings, and suits of armor with pointy toes. And the views! Oh my, the views. Looking out for the tower of the castle, you can see all of Segovia as well as the surrounding fields and mountains. It was breathtaking and a welcome change from the busy metropolis that is Madrid. In the Alcázar, I also met two typically friendly Irish sisters who couldn't stop talking about how much the love Spain. ¡Viva España! After the Alcázar, I made my way to the Gothic cathedral. I gotta say, although the outside is impressive, I found the interior pretty boring. And with all of the construction inside, it was NOISY! I bonded with a Japanese man who spoke very little Spanish by exchanging "Clang! Clang!" sounds while sitting together in a pew. Right before the whole city closed up shop for siesta, I slipped into the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Esteban Vicente. I'd never heard of Esteban Vicente, but I liked his artwork!

Once everything closed, I wandered the streets full of sandstone buildings for a bit then grabbed a bus home. Segovia was touristy but still quite calm and had a completely different look and feel from Madrid. It was a nice change of pace. Next time on Frijoles in Spain -- ¡La Noche en Blanco!