Segovia: Possibly the most beautiful place in Europe

Today we took our first trip!!! Woke up at 7 and met at our Profe's house at 9 to board the tour bus and get on our way.We drove past Madrid, and then about another hour to the town of Segovia. To start off, we drove up to a giant aqueduct!

Our guide said it was the oldest and longest standing, and was built about 100 years after Christ. They built it because they didn't have any water sources in the area, but they also didn't want to move. It steadily declines from a mountain source until it reaches the city. Cool stuff! I also love it because I learned about it in my History of Creativity class last Fall semester. It's an awesome feeling to see something you've learned about in a class in real life.

Oh, there was also this cool merry-go-round, so we all had to take pictures! It looked like fun.

The next stop on the tour was to a cool church! Our guide explained that the whole city square was built on a hill and was surrounded by castle walls that reminded me of Lord of the Rings or something like that. There's just so much to tell about! It's hard to pick one or two things. The church was surrounded by what are now apartments and shops, but most of the structures are original walls and buildings. It was so interesting to see the old mixed with the new. Since resources were limited back then and everyone had to use the same structures to build their houses, to show that they were wealthy, they would hire an artist to carve designs into their walls.

I loved hearing the history of the city! Usually I'm not a huge history buff when I'm sitting in a classroom, but when I'm actually seeing the thing that's being explained, the history just comes alive and I absolutely love it. As we continued up the hill, we passed more little streets and apartments. This city is everything that I thought Spain and the rest of Europe would look like. I would highly recommend this city to any European travelers! Next, as we came around the corner, we were hit with the first sight of the cathedral.

This was complete with gargoyles, poky spires, moss growing on the side of the building, and many tiers that seemed impossible to count. It all looked way cool, but little did we know what we were facing until we got to the front and... BAM!!! Cathedral! This thing was seriously amazing. I wish we could have gone and explored it, but we didn't have enough time. It half expected to see Quazzi Modo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame start swinging from the towers or something! It was great.

After looking at the cathedral for a bit, we got to sample an amazing Segovian dessert, and then to explore the shops for a few minutes. We passed by one and took some pictures, and this man inside said "Take my picture!" We did, then he promptly came out and started to talk to us.

We soon learned that his name was Victor and he lived there in the city. I really enjoyed hearing him because for some reason, the accent in Segovia isn't as thick, and they don't speak as fast, so I was able to understand everything he said! That definitely feels good. Victor asked where we were all from and why we were there. As I responded, he reached out and grabbed my hand. I was a bit confused, but I didn't pull back. He started squeezing it in different places and asking if I had a headache or a backache or any other problem Apparently, he used to be a doctor who performed acupuncture, and he still loved to help out his friends and family, even though he wasn't practicing anymore. He went through the rest of the group and diagnosed our "problems," then continued to chat like we were old friends! As we left, we got the typical kiss on both cheeks and were wished luck with our trip. It was one of the most precious things ever! I love Spain!!!

Ok, next stop on the Segovia tour was... a CASTLE!!! Yep, they have a castle. This place was amazing. On the way there, we passed through the typical European streets complete with cobblestone roads and quaint little shops, and we also walked by a cool bell tower. This city did not lack anything. As we arrived at the castle, there was a guard standing outside the gate dressed in a Roman uniform for the tourists. Poor guy, though! It was freezing, but he still had a smile on his face! He must be paid really well... The castle is located at the edge of the city and juts off into cliffs on the back and the side. On the front, the castle had a large mote that's now filled with moss instead of dangerous water creatures placed there to protect the castle. What kind of castle would be complete without a mote, right? It was sweet.

After taking pictures outside, we had the chance to take a tour through the castle. We first walked past a courtyard, then into the adjoining rooms. There were many sets of knight armor in the first few rooms, intricate art pieces and ceiling mosaics, stained glass windows, original furniture and beds, and other cool things. There was also a room of the kings where there were statue-like representations of the kings, giant murals, and thrones. The last room was a chapel where people could come confess their sins or pray. Here, there were paintings of Christ on the cross and other beautiful art pieces as well. Everything was so cool!

After the museum tour, we had the opportunity to climb the tower and go on top of the castle! This trip just kept getting better and better!

I must say, those knights and kings must have been in extremely good shape, because that tower was in no way easy to climb. Each stair was probably about a foot high, maybe even more, and they just kept going!! Ha! We were all panting heavily when we reached the top, and my calves felt like I had never used them before in my life! It was great. However, when we got to the top, it was well worth the climb. You could see for miles in all directions, and the view was absolutely breathtaking. We could see all of the other ancient buildings we'd just visited, plus all of the surrounding countryside. It was amazing! Pictures and words just can't describe it accurately.

SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!

After climbing down, we walked back through the city, stopped at a couple shops throughout the city to get some souvenirs, then loaded the bus. We drove for about 5 minutes then stopped again at the base of the cliff behind the castle to take more pictures and to stop for lunch. Each of our host families made us a sack lunch, which was really nice. Ours had a ham sandwich, another sandwich that had a Spanish tortilla inside (eggs, veggies, and potatoes!), two drinks, an apple, and a dessert. They know how to eat here in Spain!

Next and last stop, La Granja! This was still in Segovia, but it was about 25-30 minutes away. La Granja is a palace built by Philip V and modeled after his grandfather's palace, Versailles. Because of this, La Granja is nicknamed "the mini-Versailles." Believe me, though, this place was nowhere near "mini"!

When we arrived, it was raining really hard and it was freezing cold. I wish I had brought my rain boots and my winter coat! None of us were prepared to have this kind of weather. Anyways, we walked up to the palace and started our tour. Now, it's a museum with many well-preserved artifacts. I was absolutely in awe with what I saw there. We weren't able to take pictures, which was a big bummer, but I'll try to describe it as best I can! We probably walked through a hundred different rooms, at least. The first 3 or 4 were colossal halls that contained embroideries depicting different myths, bible stories, and gods. They were extremely interesting to look at, and each one must have taken years to create.

They were HUGE! Each stretched at least 20 feet high and 35-40 feet long. After seeing room after room of this, we came upon other rooms containing mostly paintings, but also actual furniture like writing desks, chairs, and beds, decorations, clocks, Chinese pottery (apparently they liked to trade), and mini statues everywhere. Each room also had an exquisite chandelier and a grand mural painted in bright and rich colors painted on the domed ceilings. When you stood in the doorway, you could see all the way down through the different rooms. All of the chandeliers matched up perfectly, and it felt like you were looking in a double set of mirrors because it would stretch on for so long. So so so cool!

The next set of rooms was strictly for sculptures. And were talking larger-than-life sculptures here! Oh, I didn't mention that every single room had many different kinds of pure marble that were unobstructed pieces, and gold leafing everywhere you looked. There was also one part that had an indoor fountain (it wasn't running at the time) that was constructed out of the wall that had statues and gold pieces everywhere, but was also completely surrounded with sea shells. Hundreds of them! Super awesome. After about 15-20 rooms of just sculptures, we finally made it to the exterior of the castle. I couldn't believe that things could progressively get better, but they sure did! These gardens were indescribable.

They stretched on for miles and included flower gardens, shrubs, forests, ponds, waterfall structures, fountains everywhere, and even a hedge maze!!! AAAHHHH! I was so excited about this. By the time we got outside, it was only a light mist, but it was also really foggy everywhere. I literally felt like I was in the scene of "Pride and Prejudice" with the beautiful scenery and the magical feel to it. It was also comparable to being in the movie "The Secret Garden," especially when we were going through the maze. I took as many pictures as I could, but sadly, my batteries died, and apparently my back-up pair hadn't been charged. Of all the bad luck!

I also didn't think that we had nearly enough time there. I could have spent days upon days exploring every part of that place and taking everything in. It was so wonderful! Towards the end of the garden tour, it started to rain, and by rain, I mean it was pouring cats and dogs! We were soaked right through to the bone!

Not to mention, it was freezing and none of us could feel our appendages. But, it was definitely worth all of that for all the beauty and the history that we were able to see. I absolutely love all the people I've been able to make friends with on this trip. I couldn't ask for more, and it's only going to get better!!!