Segovia and the 'A' Word
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Mac
Nov 25, 2010, 6:21:40 PM11/25/10
to Travel Spain
Impossible to deal with Segovia without mentioning the aqueduct – I
know, I've tried. No other city is so dominated by a single feature
so old, so beautiful, so BIG. Straddling the lower city, slim and
graceful, pink-gold in the setting sun, no wonder it is the most
photographed object in Spain. In the Museo Rodera-Robles, an
exhibition of hundreds of photographs taken since cameras were
invented show it unchanging, as buildings around rise and fall and
rise, and people and traffic and roads increase, over 160 years, as it
has been for nearly two millennia. Still a blink of an eye, of
course. There, that's enough; I won't mention it again.
Next day, on a bitterly cold bright morning, the grass frosted and ice
in the streets, a pale moon still hangs in the sky over the market
setting up in the Plaza Mayor, the sun not yet penetrating the narrow
streets but already gilding the dome of the enormous Gothic cathedral,
flooding through the high stained glass to light the vast echoing
spaces within, full of treasures, images and statues in the circling
chapels. (I'm getting quite worried – I can now recognise several
saints on sight).
Further down, at the very point of the city, the fairytale Alcázar
sits on its crag. It's fascinating for all sorts of reasons. The
Biblioteca is interesting, as the Royal Artillery School also taught
and researched all branches of science, with several professores
leaders in their fields. A 1798 botany textbook contains diagrams
identical to those I used as a student, and a whole building is
devoted to the latest (18th century) research in chemistry. If you're
in Segovia, and feel up to it, then an ascent of the Torre de Juan II
is a must. 152 steps, “abstenarse personas con riesgo para su salud”,
but worth every gasp. The cityscape has to be the best I've ever
seen: cathedral and town on its whaleback ridge against the Sierra de
Guaderrama just left me lost for words – and you know how difficult
that is!
However, I'm afraid I caused a bit of trouble at the Alcázar. An
exterior door on to a high patio, bolted but not locked, no
'prohibidado' sign, so out I went, and was halfway round the walls by
stairways and paths before an alarm sounded. A rather disgruntled
hombre de seguridad escorted me back. Oh, well..................
It is in fact possible to walk far below the cliffs of the Alcázar, in
a deep green gorge (officially closed at the moment – obras and
desprendiamentos de rocas – but I asked a jogger and she said it was
OK), to appreciate the impregnability of the fortress above. Descend
by a steep stairway on the north (icy at the moment), and return by
the Puerta de San Andrés on the south. A beautiful walk, with
vertical views both up and down.
Apart from this, the city is so crammed with churches, monasteries and
palaces that it would take at least a month to inspect them all. I
see that Segovia is bidding for European City of Culture 2016.
Depends what you count as culture, but Liverpool gained the crown a
few years ago, so perhaps it stands a chance.
Some of you may know that I usually carry on my Spanish travels a copy
of George Borrow's 'Bible in Spain', a classic book of 19th century
travel. He was here of course, in August 1838, waiting a whole day
for his assistant Lopez (jailed for distributing the New Testament in
Spanish), under the 107th arch of the aqueduct.
¡Lo siento. Otra vez la palabra 'A'!
Mac
PS I also ought to mention that we also went to Coca, on the advice
of an Australian in Ávila who raved about its castle.
Well............ Extraordinary as a Forestry college, which it is,
but more like a pink wedding cake than a castle, plonked down on the
edge of a perfectly ordinary little town. From a distance, almost
edible. Not my idea of a Castle in Spain.
know, I've tried. No other city is so dominated by a single feature
so old, so beautiful, so BIG. Straddling the lower city, slim and
graceful, pink-gold in the setting sun, no wonder it is the most
photographed object in Spain. In the Museo Rodera-Robles, an
exhibition of hundreds of photographs taken since cameras were
invented show it unchanging, as buildings around rise and fall and
rise, and people and traffic and roads increase, over 160 years, as it
has been for nearly two millennia. Still a blink of an eye, of
course. There, that's enough; I won't mention it again.
Next day, on a bitterly cold bright morning, the grass frosted and ice
in the streets, a pale moon still hangs in the sky over the market
setting up in the Plaza Mayor, the sun not yet penetrating the narrow
streets but already gilding the dome of the enormous Gothic cathedral,
flooding through the high stained glass to light the vast echoing
spaces within, full of treasures, images and statues in the circling
chapels. (I'm getting quite worried – I can now recognise several
saints on sight).
Further down, at the very point of the city, the fairytale Alcázar
sits on its crag. It's fascinating for all sorts of reasons. The
Biblioteca is interesting, as the Royal Artillery School also taught
and researched all branches of science, with several professores
leaders in their fields. A 1798 botany textbook contains diagrams
identical to those I used as a student, and a whole building is
devoted to the latest (18th century) research in chemistry. If you're
in Segovia, and feel up to it, then an ascent of the Torre de Juan II
is a must. 152 steps, “abstenarse personas con riesgo para su salud”,
but worth every gasp. The cityscape has to be the best I've ever
seen: cathedral and town on its whaleback ridge against the Sierra de
Guaderrama just left me lost for words – and you know how difficult
that is!
However, I'm afraid I caused a bit of trouble at the Alcázar. An
exterior door on to a high patio, bolted but not locked, no
'prohibidado' sign, so out I went, and was halfway round the walls by
stairways and paths before an alarm sounded. A rather disgruntled
hombre de seguridad escorted me back. Oh, well..................
It is in fact possible to walk far below the cliffs of the Alcázar, in
a deep green gorge (officially closed at the moment – obras and
desprendiamentos de rocas – but I asked a jogger and she said it was
OK), to appreciate the impregnability of the fortress above. Descend
by a steep stairway on the north (icy at the moment), and return by
the Puerta de San Andrés on the south. A beautiful walk, with
vertical views both up and down.
Apart from this, the city is so crammed with churches, monasteries and
palaces that it would take at least a month to inspect them all. I
see that Segovia is bidding for European City of Culture 2016.
Depends what you count as culture, but Liverpool gained the crown a
few years ago, so perhaps it stands a chance.
Some of you may know that I usually carry on my Spanish travels a copy
of George Borrow's 'Bible in Spain', a classic book of 19th century
travel. He was here of course, in August 1838, waiting a whole day
for his assistant Lopez (jailed for distributing the New Testament in
Spanish), under the 107th arch of the aqueduct.
¡Lo siento. Otra vez la palabra 'A'!
Mac
PS I also ought to mention that we also went to Coca, on the advice
of an Australian in Ávila who raved about its castle.
Well............ Extraordinary as a Forestry college, which it is,
but more like a pink wedding cake than a castle, plonked down on the
edge of a perfectly ordinary little town. From a distance, almost
edible. Not my idea of a Castle in Spain.
John Zumsteg
Nov 25, 2010, 11:14:09 PM11/25/10
to trave...@googlegroups.com
Ah, Segovia...
We were in Segovia in late September (which reminds me that I'd better get some trip reports written up about our two weeks in Spain). Where did you stay, Mac? We stayed at Hotel Infanta Isabel, right on the Plaza Mayor. We've stayed there several times before and know to ask for one of three specific rooms, which are large and look out on the Plaza Mayor.
I don't know if you're still in Segovia, Mac, but I strongly recommend the Archaeological Museum of the Segovia province, which is situated in the Casa del Sol, toward the Alcazar from the Plaza Mayor in the walls on the west side of the town. It's just a year or two old, and costs about a Euro, and is well worth that. Many very interesting exhibits about the region.
For me, the most interesting aspect of the Álcazar is that Isabel was living there when her half-brother, Enrique IV, the King of Castille, died. Knowing there would be a struggle for the crown, she gathered the aristocrats of Castille who supported her, and marched from the Álcazar to the Plaza Mayor, where she was crowned first by the civil authorities, then by the Archbishop of Segovia in Iglesia San Miguel. There is a plaque on the wall of Iglesia San Miguel saying that the ceremony took place right there, but in fact, the original San Miguel burned and the replacement, which we see today, is 50 ft south of the original. But I love walking from the Álcazar to the Plaza Mayor, knowing that I'm walking in Isabel's footsteps.
A friend of ours who lived in Spain for many years says he believes Segovia keeps the tradition of el paseo - the evening walk - better than any place is Spain. We loved spending an hour or two every evening walking with the people of the town, going from Plaza Mayor to the Aqueduct, then down calle Fernandez Ladreda, and back.
Your story makes me long to be back in Segovia...and I was there just two months ago! Definitely one of our favorite places in Spain.
John
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Mac
Nov 26, 2010, 2:50:57 PM11/26/10
to Travel Spain
On Nov 26, 4:14 am, John Zumsteg <jzums...@directionsconsulting.com>
wrote:
> Ah, Segovia...
>
> We were in Segovia in late September (which reminds me that I'd better get some trip reports written up about our two weeks in Spain). Where did you stay, Mac? We stayed at Hotel Infanta Isabel, right on the Plaza Mayor. We've stayed there several times before and know to ask for one of three specific rooms, which are large and look out on the Plaza Mayor.
Ha! You ought to know us better than that, John. No posh hotels for
>
> We were in Segovia in late September (which reminds me that I'd better get some trip reports written up about our two weeks in Spain). Where did you stay, Mac? We stayed at Hotel Infanta Isabel, right on the Plaza Mayor. We've stayed there several times before and know to ask for one of three specific rooms, which are large and look out on the Plaza Mayor.
us, although our hostal was right by the aqueduct, and perfectly
adequate at €45 per night. Not quite as budget as the Aussie we met
in Ávila, who had found somewhere for €14 per night, single. Not your
style, I think.
Saludos
Mac
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