Segovia

I think I am finally adjusted to life in Spain, and I'm loving it. I've kind of gotten a routine down here, and I'm feeling more at home everyday. Unfortunately, having a routine means that time has started going by faster...so I'm just trying to take advantage of the time I have here.

Today we had a day trip to Segovia, which is a small city about an hour south of Madrid. It is a quaint little town that is a huge draw for tourists. But despite all of the foreigners, it still has retained a lot of its charm.

When we arrived we met our tour guide at the Roman aqueduct. This is probably what Segovia is most known for. The aqueduct was built in the 1st or 2nd century (I think). It is one of the best preserved aqueducts in the world, and the stones are not held together with any mortar except for at the very top. It was really amazing to see in person. It's hard to believe that something that old could be in such good condition, and it's all held together based on the placement of the rocks.

After the aqueduct we took a walking tour of the city. A lot of the buildings had a facade of carved designs. They were originally used to show a house of nobility, but now they are just pretty decorations. The streets are all narrow and cobble-stone, like a lot of places in Spain, it was really beautiful. There are several Roman cathedrals and many local plazas for people to gather in.

After walking through the streets, we went to the Castillo Alacázar. Supposedly, this is the castle that Walt Disney based Snow White's castle off of in Disneyland and the movie. I can kind of see the resemblance :) Our tour guide took us through several rooms to see the ornate decorations and medieval artifacts. Unfortunately, there was a large fire and a lot of the original decorations were destroyed. They were able to replicate them thanks to an artist who sketched all of the rooms. The only room that still has the original decoration was the sanctuary. Our tour guide told us that a king who lived in the castle told a monk, after looking at the stars, that he thought the universe was imperfect. The monk told him to be careful or he would suffer the punishment of God. The king was still prideful and stuck to his theory. Shortly after, lightning struck the room where he would look at the stars, causing the fire. After that, he rebuilt the astromony room in honor of the monk who warned him.

After the tour, we were able to climb up to the top of one of the towers in the castle. It was 152 steps up a steep and winding staircase, but it was totally worth it for the view of the city from up high. The city is surrounded by mountains and beautiful landscape. After somehow making it back down the staircase, we headed to a restaurant for lunch. They served us salad and chicken and a Segovian delicacy consisting of a roasted baby pig. It's supposed to be the most tender meat, and it is a very popular dish. I tried a bite of it, but did not enjoy it as much as most Segovians. To me it just tasted like pork...and I couldn't get past the thought that I was eating a baby pig, especially when I saw the head of the one at the table next to me. I tried it, though, and other people ate it, so the little piglets didn't die completely in vain.

After lunch we had some time to wander around Segovia and then it was back to Madrid for some much needed rest. Like most Madrileños, a lot of people in our group, including me, didn't pass up the opportunity to go out Friday night. Needless to say, we were pretty tired, so it was time for a siesta before dinner.

Tomorrow we're off to the Rastro, which is a big market here in Madrid that's only held on Sunday mornings. TIME TO SHOP! :)