Charming and Historic Segovia
SEGOVIA, SPAIN. A 1-hour drive in Madrid took us in Castilla and into one of the most charming cities I had been to on this trip so far. Segovia has a lot of story to tell and it starts with its aqueduct. The city built an amazing waterway system to transport their water from other parts of Spain. It runs for about 15 kilometres and snakes through some parts of the city where they finally filter it before distribution. Sometimes, the lengths of the aqueduct can be found underground, like what a canal would be; and sometimes it can be found up high, supported by columns made in stacked stones. They were able to preserve the system since they were using it until the early 20th century. To tell you the truth, the people from Segovia are fond of recycling establishments which was the main reason why they were able to preserve most of them. There was the jail which was turned to a school and later on to a public library. There were also their synagogues which were converted to churches. This was normally done in Spain to still use and preserve the Moorish structures even when Christianity had taken over. Though the aqueduct is what mainly attracts tourism, Segovia is more than just their aqueduct. The city is part of their national heritage and was also later on proclaimed as a UNESCO World Heritage.
We were able to see the Plaza Mayor which is filled mainly with restaurants. The Plaza Mayor is being flocked by people during Thursdays as it is considered to be a market day. Sundays are treats to see, especially for tourists like me, as the streets are filled by people walking from all directions. From the Plaza Mayor was the Segovia Cathedral which charges a fee if you want to go inside and see it.
Going down the side streets, away from the main plaza, we were introduced to the quieter section of Segovia, where the residential part of the city is. There were wide and narrow streets. There were also those which leads to an open area and those that leads to a maze. Whatever they may be, they are all interconnected and they all lead somewhere interesting. It was never a dead end.
More than the streets that we discovered, we also visited the Alcazar which has some seriously and intricately designed ceilings. I particularly fell in love with the one that was made in walnut wood framed in what possibly seems like gold detailing. It had been done magnificently and marvellously.
The trip in Segovia that we took may had been short but truly worthwhile. I wish to spend more time on it when I come back. I think it has a lot more to offer than what meets the eye.
