Saturday in Segovia Part II

Like most cities in Spain and Europe in general Segovia is a city of various cultures and lots of historical layers. Evidence of Segovia's long history is hard to escape as a giant Roman made arqeduct runs through the city. This ancient structure brought water to the old roman city that once stood and is still in amazing shape.

Although the area around the Aquaduct does not reflect the ancient Roman building. There are still a host of old churches and buildings that mimic a Romanesque style. From the side of the aquaduct we were able to get a great view of the city and its red tiled roofs.

The other main historical attraction in Segovia reflects the more recent times. Following the modern streets south from the Romanesque buildings, we found caught a view of the Cathedral de Segovia.

The Cathedral of Segovia rests on the most defensible part of the city. Climbing the long steps it was hard to imagine any army wanted to run up the steps while getting pelted by arrows and stones but like most places in Europe, many battles were fought  here.

 

Taking the route up the stairs gave an excellent view of what priorities ancient cities had. High walls, narrow channel walkways, and many easily cut of gates still showed defending against enemies as a big priority.

Considering the history of the Spain before the 16th Century as a story of small independent kingdoms battling Romans, Visagoths, Moors, various other  Islamic invaders, and eventually independent Christian kingdoms the city of Segovia was a testament to a mixed culture with a past of war.

Segovia in particular underwent several transitions in population. Notably during the height of the Islamic Empire in Spain, Segovia was largely abandoned by the Christian Visagoth inhabitants. However, following King Alfonso VI's reconquest of Toledo the Kingdom of Castile y Leon became centered around Segovia.

 The Catedral de Segovia highlights the southern part of the city with its late gothic towers and beautiful spires. The original was located further south, near the city fortress of Alcazar . However because of numerous battles that ended up with the cathedral being used to defend besieged armies and its ultimate destruction during the Comuneros uprising it was rebuilt away from the main battle zone.

The construction of the Cathedral lasted from 1525-1577 and remains one of the most prominent examples of Gothic architecture in Spain

The inside of the catedral was even more impressive with the vaulted ceiling and beautiful stain glass. I also thought that the gold work on the altar and organ was very impressive. 

I enjoyed the engravings and painting scattered around the naves of the catedral.  I'm sure by the end of my three month stay in Europe I will become numb to the artwork but I so far  I'm fasinated by how many different ways artists have represented Jesus in their works.

Stepping outside the Catedral's huge wood doors you could understand how this place would have been used a defensive position against besieging armies. 

The size and thickness of the doors combined with the overall vastness of the stone structure made it seem like a very safe place to escape any enemy which probably says something about the objective behind the design of a lot of Catholic churches in general. The feeling of awe one gets from the massive halls and beautiful architecture give its members a feeling of security amidst the dangers of life.













Outside in the sunlight the incoming storm clouds made the buildings stonework standout. 
We didn't get a chance to go inside Segovia's other famous church, Church of San Miguel de Segovia, which was a disappointment because of its historical signifigance as the church where Isabelle I was crowned Queen of Castille. Getting your Royal family straight is important in understanding European history but this one a little bit easier for US centered Historian like myself. Isabella is remembered because she and her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon defeated the last of the Islamic kingdoms in Granada and thus completing the 300 year Reconquista of Muslim forces by Christian forces in 1492. However that same year she, more importantly in my mind, gave permission for Chrisopher Columbus to set sail to find a transatlantic passage to India. Which hopefully everyone knows is how Europeans became aware that there were two more continents to Europeanize. Whatever good or bad that came from that experience it is still a big event to remember.

I also enjoyed the Leon statues that decorate many of the buildings in the Castille y Leon region. This one in particular seemed to be sticking his tongue out towards the church, which seemed a bit odd, but maybe an art history major could explain the significance of it.

The next part of are trip brought us the the very southern tip of the hill Segovia rests upon. On the cliffed wall sits the Azcalar ( or Fortress) that stood in different forms from as early as the Roman and Moor days when it was just a wooden fort. The current castle walls with many Disneyesque towers were an amazing sight to see. 

 Unfortunately we had spent too long at the Cathedral and just missed getting in but the view was well worth going.

The tower just about 200 feet below our cliff perch is the Church of Vera Cruz and Templar site that claimed to have a piece of the actual cross Jesus was crucified on. There were many natural caves in the surrounding cliffs, bringing to mind scenes from Indiana Jones, the Last Crusade, but with the sun going down I was out voted and it was decided that this wasn't the best time to go on an adventure for Templar gold.

Instead, the sunset offered us a great substitute in an amazing sunlit view of the two big churches of the old town.











As we walked back to the bus station, racing the sun down the hill through the narrow street passages of Segovia we got a glimpse of a beautiful sunset on the hills above town. A great way to end a trip and a great first weekend in Spain.

Next time... Toledo!

Saturday in Segovia Part I

Its been almost two weeks since I arrived in Spain and so far is been great! The language, food, and amazing history on every turn has made my days full of new experiences. 

On my first full weekend in Spain I traveled with some new friends I made, to a town outside Madrid called Segovia. I met them through the Interexchange Program that brought me to Spain in the first place. One awkward email to a group of total strangers later and we now have a crew! Three are from the US with one token Canadian who is our best Spanish speaker. On this trip to Segovia I only had two travel companions though, but both had way better spanish language skill than me. 

The bus ride from Madrid only took about an hour and half and we spent a lot of the time discussing our travel plans as well as continuing to getting to know each other. 

Once we arrived in Segovia we decide to use of a tip from our friend's "host mom" and travel outside Segovia to the nearby town of La Granja to visit the impressive, "Palacio Real de La Granja de San Ildefonso."

The difference between the climates of Madrid, Segovia and La Granja was amazing. Just 20 minutes away from the grassy hills of Segovia we were in a magical snowy town that once housed the Royal Family of Spain. 

The Palacio Real de La Granja de San Ildefonso was originally a summer palace for King Phillip V of Spain. King Phillip V was the first of the Bourbon Kings of Spain which means he was related to the same  French royal family as the famous Louis XVI of France. King Phillip V however did not end up with the same fate as the other Bourbon monarch and ended up presiding over the longest reign of any Spanish King.

The Palacio Phillip V made is now a museum on the inside with many sculptures and a surprisingly impressive amount of tapestries.

I have to say that I'd never given any thought the skill required for making a tapestry but the ones contained in the Palacio were very impressive. Most depicted Greek Myths and Biblical stories with extreme detail. I would show pictures but were not allowed to photograph inside the building...

 The outside grounds however were all the impressive starting with the sculptures that decorated the almost four miles of gardens. 

                                                        

The main feature that draws the most visitors to the gardens, are the many fountains. Unfortunately during the winter this attraction has limited viewing, but the impressive lead and bronze statues depicting different mythical creatures and gods were still worth the cold walk through the ice.

 

 Once we finished touring the Palacio it was around "siesta" time so we went to a local restaurant for some warmth, food, and my new favorite drink.. Tinto de Verano (wine+sprite+ lemonade) Afterwards we hopped on another bus and headed back to Segovia to see what we could see..

 Part II coming soon..

En Espana!

I've been waiting for two years for an opportunity to travel to Europe and now that time has finally come. With college graduated, EMT class passed, money saved all winter I am not currently lively with a wonderful family in Madrid, Spain. I plan on staying here for around three months and then traveling the rest of Europe with a couple friends.

The opportunity to live with a Spanish family came from a inquiry I made last year with the career center at UCSC. They gave me several options on how to make living abroad a possibility  I ended up choosing to participate with a company called InterExchange. Based out of New York, this company operates with hundred of contacts across the world to find families who have need of an english speaker who can help them practice their English.

After submitting the necessary paper work that includes a background check, multiple personality essays, and picture collage, I was placed with a family just outside Madrid in a semi suburban town called Las Rozas. 

Now, I am here! The family is great. The seven year old twin boy and girl I tutor are great kids who already have great english speaking skills. My host mother and father are both very friendly. The mother works at a news broadcast in Madrid and the father works at home producing films for a variety of different clients. He is a big sci fi fan with an impressive collection of Star Wars figures.







The house is really nice. A three story building in a friendly cul-de-sac neighborhood. The top floor is devoted to my host dad's work and has a library of cool books, models, and a collection of hats, swords, and paintings from places their family has traveled.  There are four bedrooms in the house with two bathrooms. I have my own bedroom with a window overlooking the neighborhood and in what seems to be a common spanish trait, a metal shutter that can completely block out the morning's sun. There is a park at the end of the street with a hiking trail that rounds about into a light forested area I have yet to explore fully.







So far I've gone on a couple of day trips around the area. Mostly the weather has been sunny but still pretty cool if you dont have a warm jacket. In other worlds pretty simliar to how California was when I left.

My first day in Madrid we went at watched Ander play futbol.  It was fun game to watch and the fact that it was being played inside on wooden floors about the size of a basket ball court made it more interesting. With the sliding kicks for several of the goals and surprisingly talented plays by the seven year old team it was a great introduction into Spain's number one sport. (FUN FACT: Basketball is the second most popular)

Later in the day after eating cocido ( a delicious stew of garbonzo beans, pork, chicken and chorizo) at a fundraiser in the children's school, we visited a park with two other families. 

Light snack and cool drinks characterize sunday evenings in Spain as most people relax and enjoy a day off from work.

The park seemed different from any park I've visited in the United States. I think it might have been the limited presence of  established rules and the expansive nature of the park. I don't know that this river could exist in a park in the United States

The day at the park was a great way to end spend my first weekend in Spain and allowed me time to reflect on what my role would be in the coming months, because starting Monday I would be tutoring the children in english with only a limited amount of knowledge of the Spanish language. I'm feeling a mixture of pressure and excitement in the face of this challenge. However, the excitement of all the new things im experiencing helps keep me motivated to learn more and do my best to tutor the students in english ! Adios for now..