Segovia - My Favorite Spanish Town

When coworkers asked about my favorite destination on our 16-day journey across Spain, I had to pause and reflect on the 13 cities we visited.

Barcelona and its glut of Gaudi architecture? Or Madrid and its lively tapas scene? What about Santiago de Compostela and its sacred splendor?

To everyone's surprise, it was charming little Segovia that won my vote.



I then had to explain to my coworkers the allure of Segovia, apparently not yet a household name outside Spain despite its domestic fame for an unparalleled combination of fascinating 2000-year-old heritage, romantic architecture and one of Spain's best-loved gastronomic inventions.



Few cities in the world can boast an ancient monument of such magnificence and scale -- in this case one of the best-preserved Roman aqueducts anywhere -- at the heart of its urban core, towering above a major townsquare and flanked by centuries-old neighborhoods.



And that's just the start of Segovia's impressive list of attractions that includes one of Spain's most beautiful Gothic cathedrals as well as a Disney-esque castle with pointed turrets and surrounded by a moat. Combined with its collection of medieval churches and remnants of a once-thriving Jewish quarter, the entire historic town is declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO.



Part of Segovia's attractiveness lies with its ease of transportation -- 30 minutes by high speed trains that drop off a few kilometres away and requiring another hop on a local bus or taxi, or less than 2 hours by highway buses that stop right next to the old town. We opted for the cheap (8 euros) highway bus which delivered us within 5 minutes' walk from our hotel.



We booked two nights in a cozy vaulted room in an 18th century building within the World Heritage zone, entirely unaware until arrival that the Roman aqueduct was right outside our window, merely 30m away in fact! More importantly our room was within walking distance from the bus station as well as major sights and restaurants, and we never needed a taxi apart from a side trip to Iglesia de la Vera Cruz.



The first night upon arrival we climbed up to Postigo del Consuelo for an up-close view of the giant granite blocks that the Roman engineers used for the aqueduct -- no mortar whatsoever, just conventional, robust structural engineering. While tourists are understandably awestruck by the soaring structure, this exposed segment is only a small portion of a 15 km long conduit that supplied the city with drinking water until the 1800s.



Walking toward the town centre we encountered the old Iglesia de San Martin, one of the city's many Romanesque churches dating from eight centuries back when the Castilians retook the city from the Moorish dynasties.



West of the cathedral we briefly entered the grounds of the fancifully illuminated citadel of Alcazar ... until we were promptly chased off by the security staff at 21:30. Just outside the castle was a perfect yet nameless view point that allowed visitors to appreciate Segovia as a medieval walled town.



This vista of Segovia's old town stopped me in the middle of my breakfast run the next morning. This photo was taken right next to the 12th century church of San Millan, which was under heavy restoration at the time and was not open to visits.



The historic Plaza Mayor -- sizeable for a now-smallish city of 50,000 -- never seemed to get overrun despite daily onslaughts from multi-national tour groups arriving mostly from nearby Madrid. This was where the legendary Queen Isabella -- best known as the monarch who funded Columbus' expedition to discover the New World -- was crowned right here more than five centuries ago.



The crown jewel on Plaza Mayor was of course the immense Cathedral of Segovia, in fact the last Gothic cathedral to be built in Spain and arguably the most elegant in style. The solemnity among worshippers in the dozen or so chapels show how the cathedral has remained primarily a place of devotion and reflection rather than a tourist attraction.



Intricate works of woodcarving can be observed in the impressive gothic choir. Visitors have the option of climbing the 90m tall belfry for a bird's eye view of the city's surroundings, though we opted for a different tower that would offer the panorama back towards the cathedral ...



... the whimsical keep of the Alcazar, Segovia's restored 800-year-old castle and a favored royal residence for kings of Castile. Little of interest remain from the original Romanesque and Gothic keep after a devastating fire and subsequent rebuild in the 1800s, but the real attraction awaits at the very top.



This was our reward for a short climb to the top of the Alcazar, a near 360-degree panorama of Segovia and its World Heritage medieval town, crowned with the graceful Cathedral at its heart.



A northerly view presented the deserted medieval church of Vera Cruz, dodecagonal in shape, archaic-looking against a backdrop of the Castilian plains and infinitely fascinating. This was the moment when I realized that this would make a great mini-hike in the late afternoon.



So we waited until 18:30 when the fierce Spanish sun started to set before taking a quick taxi to Iglesia de la Vera Cruz. Our friendly driver was visibly puzzled when I paid for the cab fare and explained in body language that we intended to hike back to town. I don't think he understood that this short hike of about 1km would offer some of the most iconic sceneries of Segovia.



The church itself was closed, but that didn't stop us from admiring the windswept exterior of this medieval gem built by the Knights Templar back in the 1200s. Modelled after the Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, this storied building was supposed to have possessed a piece of Jesus' cross.



In 250m we reached Iglesia de San Marcos and the adjacent grassy lawn used by Segovia's dog owners as an off-leash area. As most photographers know, this is the unlikely locale for that classic postcard view of Segovia's fairytale castle. Watch for dog poop though.



Our hike would zigzag up toward the mighty town walls above the 16th century Royal Mint and the Monastery of Santa Maria del Parral, still occupied by the cloistered monks of Saint Jerome to this date. Further north was the town of Zamarramala and the seemingly endless grasslands in the direction of Valladolid.



By 19:30 we returned to the centre of Segovia where her Cathedral basked in the warm tones of the approaching sunset. The day-trippers were gone, the neighbours came out for their pre-supper strolls and socialization, and we already had our appetites worked up for one more take on the city's famed culinary contribution -- the Cochinillos, or Roasted Suckling Pigs, of Segovia.



So where are the reviews and photos of the Suckling Pigs you ask? The photos are still getting sorted out, but they will come with the next post, I promise.