Segovia

   Today I went to Segovia, Spain for a planned day-trip with SLU Madrid. We had about 100 people, I think 50 people in each group, and it was great to see some familiar faces! We left SLU Madrid at 9:00 in the morning, so Claire and I had to get up really early, like 7, in order to get ready, travel by metro, and get there before the buses left. Segovia is about an hour and 15 minutes from Madrid by bus, and it is northeast of Madrid. On our way, we passed by El Escorial, where the King of Spain used to live. We then crossed over the Sistema Central, a mountain range, and then made our way to Segovia. The Sistema Central range separates northern Spain and southern Spain. According to our guide, a Spanish teacher at SLU Madrid, the southern side is known for partying and fun, and the northern side is known for industry and seriousness. 
    The town of Segovia is really old, and really pretty. It is famous for its Roman aqueduct. It is just sitting in the middle of the city....no big deal, but really it is a big deal! The aqueduct was probably built around 50 AD, with no mortar or cement to hold it together. Just big granite rocks. If one rock fell down, the whole thing would probably collapse! The Romans were really smart, as they knew how to build an arch. Which doesn't seem very important, but it was! One rock in the middle, the keystone, helps support all of the other rocks. The structure cannot hold wait until that last rock is put into place. The aqueduct is around a mile long, and the only one left standing in Spain. It could still function to transport water if needed, but they used it up until recently. 

Aqueduct of Segovia

     Our next stop was at la Iglesia de San Millán, is a church made in the 11th and 12th centuries. It looks kinda dark in this picture...after we got out of the church it started raining.

Iglesia de San Millan

      The stop after the church was at the Alcazar of Segovia, or palace. We first saw it from the top of the city, and then walked down a bunch of steps to see it from down below. It is supposed to resemble a boat. The building was originally built in the 12th century, but through the years has been repaired, reinforced, and slightly rebuilt after fires or collapsing stone. 

Alcazar of Segovia

       We then walked to the Iglesia de San Juan de la Cruz, St. John of the Cross. This is where he lived when he was a Carlmelite friar, and then was buried. There was tension over where his body should be buried, so now the church only has part of his body, and has made a sort of altar above it, honoring him. 

Front of la Iglesia de San Juan de la Cruz

Altar dedicated to St. John of the Cross

     After walking up the bunches of stairs we came down earlier, we walked back up to Segovia's Plaza Mayor, and found a place to eat. I had paella mixta (mixed paella), pollo asado con patatas (roasted chicken with fries, not potatoes like I thought), flan (not my favorite), bread, and lemon Fanta! Guess what, it does taste like lemonade! We picked from the menu of the day, and the price was 12.50 euros, which is pretty reasonable for what we got...it was a nice little restaurant, and we felt all fancy eating at our first actual Spanish restaurant. 

     After lunch, we visited the Cathedral of Segovia, which was really big and really pretty inside and outside. Words cannot describe it. Unlike the first church we saw, this one was a Gothic church (the other one was Romanesque), meaning it had rose windows, pointed arches, a lot of light and height, ribbed vaults, and pillars. They have mass in the chapel they have, which is just as ornate as the rest of the church. The main area had dedications to former bishops, artwork, frescoes, statues, and more.   

Altar of Chapel

     So that was my day in Segovia! It was a lot of fun, and the town was really pretty. I enjoyed being in town that has so much history and was really old, it was amazing!
     For dinner we had salad with onions and oil and vinegar, bread, rice, and breaded chicken. It was really good and tasted like home!

Things I have learned in Spain

• No one knows what the weather is going to be like...but it is not as crazy as St. Louis weather
• Next trip I go on I will be fully prepared - hiking boots, back-packing back-pack (it's small don't worry), water, food, raincoat and extra layers. It was cold and rainy and I had no idea it was going to be like that! 
• Segovia is known for its dish of suckling pig
• Spain has mountains...6 different mountain ranges to be exact! They are not huge like the Rocky Mountains or Alps, but they are mountains!

¡Adios!