Today we woke up, met my brother in the La Latina area, got a typical Spanich breakfast of Chocolate and Churros and wanted to bath the in the little cup the chocolate came in it was so delicious.
After breakfast we walked around El Rastro, the largest flea market in Madrid, housing antique shops, thrift shops and artists covering blocks and blocks lined up along the streets. It was literally shoulder to shoulder sometimes. It's also where I bought everyones gifts I picked up for family back home. It was my little piece of paradise for the day!
Then we headed off to Segovia, because of me being stuck at El Rastro we headed out a little later than we expected... sorry guys! As soon as we got there we walked from the bus station to the city and the first thing we see are the Roman Aqueducts, dating from the late 1st or early 2nd century CE. One this was my first time experiencing aqueducts for the first time two I could not get over the structures. I know they are all over the world but something built over 2000 years ago and I was able to place my hand right on it.
We walked through the city center the Plaza Mayor all the way to the opposite side of the city to get to the infamous Alcazar! It was completely under construction on the facade and covered up which was very disappointing but restoring is very important for the structures integrity. Built in 1122, Devastated by a fire in 1862, it was later rebuilt. It now houses the General Militar de Segovia archive and museum of the Royal School of Artillery. Everything was in Spanish on the interior but you could get the gist of it all. My favorite thing was the castle was one of the inspirations for Walt Disney's Cinderella Castle! You could really see it, look up photos :)
We toured around the whole downstairs and upstairs and through both the museums and exterior back and front, there was no place we could go that we didn't! Rooms that were floor to ceiling tapestries, my dream tip elf life!! The best part of it housing museums were all the items that dated back in those times and just seeing the way of life.
The view from the top of the back looking over the countryside was breathtaking!
After we walked the whole grounds of the place we walked towards the Catedral of Segovia. We had just missed the closing time and didn't get a chance to make it in but the gothic exterior was just as amazing and is known as "The Lady of Cathedrals." It felt pretty lady-like to me, right in the city center. I could really imagine myself waking up and having a coffee in the square sitting right in front of it everyday.
My brother had been to Segovia before and knew the most perfect viewpoint of the whole city together. It was quite a downhill hike, a couple miles away but it was well worth the walk. Gorgeous scenery everywhere it was a designers dream house. It almost felt like being at Hogwarts, or what I would consider Hogwarts would be like. We walked through the walls that surround the city, on the main route of the route for Camino de Santiago, the pilgrimage path of scallop shells to guide the way. Through hidden pathways and so forth. We got an amazing panorama of us with the whole city behind us!
The Knights Templar, consecrated in 1208, Now the Church of Vera Cruz was built by the Knights Templar to house a fragment of the True Cross.
The sun was starting to set the town was starting to set up for their nightly parties and community drinks and after the hike down I was so not ready to hike all the way back up, but they promised me beer. We took the same walk back up and it was just finding more little gems all over the place. We stopped at the Iglesia de San Miguel on the way to the place my brother said we had to have!
It was nice to be able to go in and look around this cathedral. It has a big significance to the country as it was here that Isabel was made Queen of Castile in 1474! I highly recommend going into this cathedral and visiting the separate small chapel to the left of the main alter, there was no pictures allowed and I could see why, it was majestic.
We finally got to our destination, El Sitio Bar and Restaurant and sat directly at the bar. Three beers and plates of tapas made us one happy group. Prince had just passed away while we were over there and the tv above us had him on playing his music so it was pretty much the best way to end our day.
We had to walk back through the city past the aqueducts to get to the bus station and took that opportunity for some light night aqueduct photos, whens the next time we will be around 2000 year old structures?
Tomorrow starts our week in Madrid by ourselves as my brother goes back to work! Wish us luck!