SEGOVIA!!!!!!

A few weekends ago Hubby's work organized a trip to Segovia.  Segovia is an easy day trip from Madrid and I would say is a must see for anyone visiting here.  There are many things that Segovia is known for.  The few that we saw were the Aqueduct, the Alcazar, the Segovia Cathedral, the Walls of Segovia and Suckling Pig.

The Aqueduct:

The aqueduct is an incredible piece of architecture and engineering.  This was built in the late 1st century or early 2nd century.  The aqueduct is 9 miles long and up to only a few years back was functional.  It brought water from the mountains to the city.  I think the most amazing facts about this structure is that it was built by hand with around 25,000 granite blocks and held together by pure engineering.  There is no mortar whatsoever in this structure.  There are over 170 bows (arches) in the structure.

Incredible.

The next sight we saw was the Segovia Cathedral.  We weren't able to go in because we weren't Catholic and they were having mass.  We went on a Sunday.  You can pay to go in when there isn't mass and we will certainly do that next time we are there.  I must say that buildings here are just so impressive.  When you think about the construction practices back when these buildings were constructed you just stand in awe of what was produced.  These were all done by hand and the detail is just amazing.

After being mesmerized for a bit looking at the Cathedral, we walked through the incredibly tiny streets where you wouldn't think people could walk and drive down...but this is Spain...so they absolutely do.

These incredible streets took us past little shops and vendors and ended at the Alcazar of Segovia.  They say that Walt Disney was inspired by this castle and created Cinderella's castle through this inspiration. This castle was first documented in 1122, but it easily could have existed earlier.  Again...we didn't go inside the castle this trip, but do plan to go in next time.  We were with a big group and we didn't want anybody to feel obligated to pay the entrance fees.  This castle was the residence of many royals and was devastated by fire in 1862, but was rebuilt.  This sight now houses the sight of an Artillery Museum.

Our final destination in Segovia was to have the famous suckling pig. Now...I probably shouldn't have read about this before we went, but I was determined to try it.  A little background...A suckling pig is basically a piglet that is fed strictly on it's mother's milk until slaughtered at about 21 days old.  Oyyyyyy... here we go.  This appeared to be a specialty in Segovia.  It was offered on many, many of the menus here and 2 of the most well know suckling pig restaurants are here. 

The meat of the suckling pig is extremely tender. They say that when these come out of the wood ovens that they cut them with a plate because they are so tender.  I would agree the meat is this tender, but the skin was extremely crisp so I don't know if that is true.  We didn't see them cut the little piglets. It was very tasty and an experience to say the least.

We had a great day in Segovia and hope to go back soon when we are not with a large group and can just wander without losing anybody or worrying about places we need to be by a certain time.

Until we meet again...