segovia or genovia?

This past weekend I travelled to Segovia, Spain. The city is an hour north of Madrid and is quite the site seeing place to go. Although there are only a few main attractions, they were well worth going to visit. Since Segovia is northern, it was a LOT closer than Madrid. And of course I visited the city on the coldest weekend since I got to Spain so that was probably a fact as well (thanks polar vortex for sending cold winds my way). Anyways, once I arrived in Segovia I got breakfast at a little cafe and the croissants were very good, but the hot chocolate was subpar to the ones I have had at San Gines in Madrid.

After a quick stop to eat, my friends and I ventured to the Roman Aqueducts. For me this was the highlight of the trip. The aqueducts were huge, with giant arches and stones forming the breathtaking structure. It used to transport water from the Rio Frio river and it is estimated that it was built around 112 AD. Although some of the aqueduct has been restored from destruction, the large majority of it has been intact since it was originally built. I loved being able to see it one due to the history and beauty of the aqueduct, but also because of my education on the Roman times from years of Latin class (s/o Ms. Francis & Ms. Jordan). I think I took so many photos here I have plenty for life!

After taking in all the aqueducts and the surrounding city, we made our way over to the Alcazar or castle in Segovia. This castle is the equivalent to the real life version of a Disney castle (or from the Princess Diaries movie haha). It sits on the edge of a huge overlook of the countryside and is also as equally breathtaking as the aqueducts. Inside, there were rooms that had some of the original furniture from when it was used as a royal palace. The Alcazar was also used as a Roman fortress (the original use), a museum of royal artillery, a state prison and a military academy. The Alcazar also has a tower that takes 152 steps to get up to the top. At the top of the tower was a picture perfect view of the city and beyond. You could see everything, including the snow-topped mountains in the distance. One of the most under-appreciated parts of the Alcazar that I loved as the stained glass windows. There were only a few and not nearly as intricate as ones I have seen in cathedrals here, but they made the windows stand out and made a statement in each room, tying in the ceiling designs with the rest of the room.

Later I ate at a restaurant, bought some souvenirs, and hung out with my friends all over the city. It was super cold so I ended up purchasing some gloves from a local lady who was super nice and told us where we should eat before we go and see during the rest of the day. After we has eaten lunch, it started to snow! The snow was so cool because it was different than snow back home. It had almost a different consistency to it and the snowflakes were more circular and did not melt at the touch of your skin or the ground. I loved the snowfall because I didn't expect to see snow while I was abroad so it made the trip even a little sweeter. Overall, I had a great time in Segovia with friends and made some great memories! I only have a week and a half left now in Madrid so I will be trying to make the most of my time here and preparing for my next location, Rome!

xoxo, j