Hey everyone...
So, I promise that this will be my last post about my holiday. But I wanted to talk about Segovia because I really enjoyed it and it was our last day in Spain and so it was a very special time. Okay, whatever. By the way, this is probably going to be a really long blog post, simply because there are a lot of pictures that I want to put in, so if you don't like that, I suggest you don't start reading.
Segovia is part of the region of Castille and León. It is not too far from Madrid and it takes about an hour, give or take, to drive there. We crossed the mountains by driving through a tunnel that went underneath it and then you are pretty much there. Now, I was with my brother, godmother, her husband and their child and at first, we all went to these gardens that were close to Segovia in this little town. Word of Advice to anyone travelling around Europe: bring identification if you are a student. Pretty much every price is reduced to get into castles and monuments and things and some places are free (like the Prado) if you are a student. So bring something!
These gardens were free to get into, though. There was also a large house, as you can see in the photo above. I was told that no one is living there at present but we didn't go inside it, so I don't know. (I would just like to say that while I am writing this, the sky is very overcast and I am looking at that sky above the house and just wishing that I was back in Spain...anyway! Back on track!) I don't know who made these gardens so I won't be able to tell you anything about that but I can say that it was very exotic. There were all these different fountains and pools that were decorated with statues. Some statues were gold, some were silver, some were bronze. It was really incredible. They were all different shapes and sizes, some were on different levels, some were square, some were in a semi-circle. It was amazing. Also pictured above are some of the statues in front of the house that we saw. I have to say some of those were slightly odd, there were sphinxes and women with children growing out of their backs but some were cool so you know. Each to his own, I guess.
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And then, we went to the actual city of Segovia. In terms of geography, I think it must be quite high up but then again, it is surrounded by mountains, so I am not sure. We did have to climb many stairs to get up to it though. In the picture, you can see the cathedral in the background and that was the first place we visited in Segovia. Now, being a Catholic, I have been in so many cathedrals in my life across the globe, in Italy and France and Brazil and everywhere. But Segovia's cathedral wins the prize for being the best. Whoever built it, *applauds*. You did your job well. Even the organ was covered in gold leaf and icons and decorations and things. It was mind-blowing. And all around the edge of the cathedrals were these shrines to different saints and every single one of them was decorated in a different way. If you like cathedrals, for some reason, this one is a must see. You can even climb the tower but it was closed when we went there. I think you have to go in the morning or something. The detail on everything was extraordinary; the gates were all decorated, the ceiling was decorated, the floor was decorated. Above every archway there was some decoration or design. It was amazing.
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| The three pictures above are different shrines. I am not sure which saint they were dedicated to but you can just admire the general atmosphere |
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| This is the tower that you can climb |
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| Just look at that. How incredible is that! |
And then, after the cathedral, we went to the edge of Segovia where there is a Roman aqueduct. Apparently, in the past, Segovia used to be a river and so the Romans built this aqueduct to channel the water. And here it is. (Sorry for the people in front of it but it was so crowded.) If you at centre in the top row, there is a little statue of Mary. I was told a legend that had to do with pagans and Christians but I am not sure of the exact details. The story went that some pagans were going to try and build the entire aqueduct in a night and they managed it except for that little bit there and so the Christians put the statue there instead. I don't know. But it was something like that. And then you could climb up this huge flight of stairs and be at the same level as the top level of the aqueduct. And you can see all these mountains surrounding Segovia and there is one that the locals call the '
La Mujer Muerta' which means the dead woman because it looks like a woman who has died in childbirth.
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La Mujer Muerta
You can see her head, her pregnant stomach in the middle and then her feet at the end |
And did you know that knockers on doors on old houses, when they are really high up, is not because everyone in the past was really tall but because they used to knock on the door when they were sitting on a horse? I didn't know that. And also, we saw a jail that had been converted into a library and a bunch of buildings that were decorated in something that looked very Celtic but obviously wasn't (because we were in Spain) but was from the Medieval period.
But, I think that is it, finally. I know that it was long but we did see a lot. I hope you enjoyed parts of it, even if I seem to get overly excited about the most mundane things. Anyway, I think the last blog post of July will be my favourites and my second novel is coming out really, really soon! Finally!
Clare
These gardens were free to get into, though. There was also a large house, as you can see in the photo above. I was told that no one is living there at present but we didn't go inside it, so I don't know. (I would just like to say that while I am writing this, the sky is very overcast and I am looking at that sky above the house and just wishing that I was back in Spain...anyway! Back on track!) I don't know who made these gardens so I won't be able to tell you anything about that but I can say that it was very exotic. There were all these different fountains and pools that were decorated with statues. Some statues were gold, some were silver, some were bronze. It was really incredible. They were all different shapes and sizes, some were on different levels, some were square, some were in a semi-circle. It was amazing. Also pictured above are some of the statues in front of the house that we saw. I have to say some of those were slightly odd, there were sphinxes and women with children growing out of their backs but some were cool so you know. Each to his own, I guess. 
And then, we went to the actual city of Segovia. In terms of geography, I think it must be quite high up but then again, it is surrounded by mountains, so I am not sure. We did have to climb many stairs to get up to it though. In the picture, you can see the cathedral in the background and that was the first place we visited in Segovia. Now, being a Catholic, I have been in so many cathedrals in my life across the globe, in Italy and France and Brazil and everywhere. But Segovia's cathedral wins the prize for being the best. Whoever built it, *applauds*. You did your job well. Even the organ was covered in gold leaf and icons and decorations and things. It was mind-blowing. And all around the edge of the cathedrals were these shrines to different saints and every single one of them was decorated in a different way. If you like cathedrals, for some reason, this one is a must see. You can even climb the tower but it was closed when we went there. I think you have to go in the morning or something. The detail on everything was extraordinary; the gates were all decorated, the ceiling was decorated, the floor was decorated. Above every archway there was some decoration or design. It was amazing.
And then, after the cathedral, we went to the edge of Segovia where there is a Roman aqueduct. Apparently, in the past, Segovia used to be a river and so the Romans built this aqueduct to channel the water. And here it is. (Sorry for the people in front of it but it was so crowded.) If you at centre in the top row, there is a little statue of Mary. I was told a legend that had to do with pagans and Christians but I am not sure of the exact details. The story went that some pagans were going to try and build the entire aqueduct in a night and they managed it except for that little bit there and so the Christians put the statue there instead. I don't know. But it was something like that. And then you could climb up this huge flight of stairs and be at the same level as the top level of the aqueduct. And you can see all these mountains surrounding Segovia and there is one that the locals call the 'La Mujer Muerta' which means the dead woman because it looks like a woman who has died in childbirth.
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