Week 1, Part 2

We arrived in Segovia Wednesday evening with the plan to try out our beds as soon as possible. After eating tapas, small snacks meant to go with a drink, at a bar/café in the Plaza Mayor across from the cathedral, we planned our attack plan and went to bed. Thursday morning we walked through the old Jewish quarter of the city and past the old synagogue that was converted into a church when the Jews were expelled from the country. Then, we toured the cathedral and learned some about the structure of the medieval church. The priests of the cathedral would near the city walls where there were arcs, with the doors closed to make sure that no one passed through. Many also lived near the castle.

After leaving the cathedral, we found a steep path leading to the lower town and the 12-sided church of the Templar Knights called Vera Cruz. The design was inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, where the order was founded. It is said that aspiring knights made their night-long vigils in the upper room and that there are hidden rooms to hide the valuables from bandits and highwaymen. After trudging back up the hill and grabbing a bocadillo (like sub sandwiches) for lunch, we went to the Alcazar, the castle. They had a cool artillery museum with scientific instruments from the 1700s, 1800s, and early 1900s. We paid extra to climb the tower (156 stairs) to the top of the castle, which was worth it. We could see everywhere (see our pictures).

We spent the remainder of the afternoon at La Granja, the summer palace of the Bourbon kings. The bus ride from Segovia took about 20 minutes. We didn’t go in the palace, but instead spent our time in the gardens. They were immense and we did not even have time to see half. I insisted that we go to the labyrinth, and yes, I made us get lost. But, we cheated to get out and so didn’t have to spend more than 20 minutes in that part.

Perhaps the strangest highlight of our excursion was to ride on the AVE, Spain’s fast train. The slow train takes two hours to get to Segovia, the fast train 30 minutes. Although it was a little stressful getting out to the train, we enjoyed the luxury and newness of the ride. Sitting backwards, we could see the countryside flashing by and the beautiful sunset against the backdrop of the Guadarrama mountains.