Two in One: Segovia and Avila

Back to the original.

So, having been to place called Nueva Segovia years before, I thought I'd finally go full circle and check out the real thing.

The city of Segovia is famous for three things: its Alcazar (or fortress castle), its 2,000 year old Roman Aqueduct and - as expected- it's soaring gothic cathedral.

It's charming hill-top city, with most of what you would expect to see in a a place of such medieval vintage. We took a two-in-one day tour and combined it with yet another of Spain's iconic gems: the city of Avila.

So let's take a stroll around around the cobbles…

From a street-level point of view- the gothic cathedral of Segovia. Great location!

A closer inspection of the main facade reveals it to be uhhhmmm…..drab.

A shot from the side. Now, this is where all the lovely details come out- finials, gargoyles, arched windows, flying buttresses…the whole gothic shebang.

Segovia streetscape. Like Toledo, the old city is one oversized museum piece. Not much activity except for the usual suspects: restaurants and souvenir shops, all to cater for the likes of us- tourists.

Ah yes… another of Segovia's gems: the Alcazar. This is a shot of its handsome facade and it was taken almost lying down. The things you do for a shot…

This 13th century millitary-castle is pure fairy-tail fantasy. So much so, in fact, that none other than Mr. Walt Disney himself thought it would be worthy enough to replicate when he opened Disneyland kistch in Southern California.

Never quite got it as perfectly.

And the last of Segovia's highlights: its 2,000 year old Roman Aqueduct. Now this is masterpiece, imagine building an over-sized water-tube using stones with no mortar to hold them together! Now, that's ingeniuity!

Now, funny thing is, for all its claim-to-fame this 2,950 meter long structure isn't even dated according to Roman sources at the time…hmmm,that's like the Chinese never mentioning the Great Wall in their record books(!)

Anyway, it is a magnificent pile of stone.

Of course, for a city of 2,000 years, there is more to Segovia than these three structures. In between all that history and this 11th-century Romanesque church is a touch of the familiar…

If you think you need a break from everyday food fare- as I later found out after eating tapas, paella and patatas fritas for week- the closest thing to Pinoy comfort food is good old Comida China (Chinese cuisine).

No arroz caldo on the menu though. ;o)

On to Avila and to it's most famous draw: its fortified 12th-century walls. Really, they look amazing from this view point but a closer inspection reveals how low (small?) they really are…

Entering the city walls through the main city gate….

a few twists and turns and on to Avila's granite-gothic cathedral.

Well, it is a gothic cathedral thats actually a part (glued?) to the city walls…

Our final stop, the church of Santa Teresa de Avila. Built on the site of Santa Teresa's birthplace, this pretty baroque church houses a finger of this feisty 15th-century lady known for reforming the Carmelite order.

Charming places- these two cities. But more spectacular things to come…. ;o)