Segovia and Pride

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Today I woke up at 7:00 and went to breakfast at 8:15.  Today as part of a package I paid for we went to Segovia.  We got on the bus at 8:45 and left by 9:00.  It took about an hour and ten minutes to get there.  It was nice because there wasn’t a full bus so I go two seats all to myself to stretch out.

First we went to Alcazar de Segovia.  This castle is a stone fortification.  It was the inspiration for the castle in Walt Disney’s Cinderella.  A castle in Germany was also the inspiration.  It was so beautiful inside.  In each room the ceilings were so intricate and had such amazing detail and color.  One of the ceilings had 365 different pieces that looked like pinecones.  Each had their own unique design.  It was so cool.  Here we had a guided tour by a lady who came on the bus with us.

Next we walked through the town.  I love how cars are not allowed on these roads because they are too narrow.   The cobblestone paths are beautiful.  As we were walking there were small bands playing everywhere and people dancing.  We passed Cathedral of Segovia that was so grand and had these amazing points at the top.  It is located in Plaza Mayor.

After walking around we stopped for lunch.  After lunch I wanted to get postcards so we split from the group and went back up to Plaza Mayor.  Here we got some fun, cheap souvenirs.  Next we stopped for frozen yogurt.

After we went to the aqueduct, which is a Roman aqueduct, that is one of the most significant and best-preserved ancient monuments left on the Iberian Peninsula.  Something interesting we learned was that they didn’t use any grout.  As you drive into Segovia you see the aqueduct get larger and larger.  It is so cool.

It was really interesting driving into Segovia because it is surrounded by tall, dead grass.  As we looked out from the top of the castle there was no other civilization other than Segovia.  Once you leave, there is nothing that surrounds it.  I really enjoyed Segovia and the beautiful architecture.

We left Segovia at 4:00 and got back a little after 5:00.  We quickly ran upstairs and got ready to go into Madrid.  We took 2 metros to get into Madrid.  We went to watch the Gay Pride parade.  It was a huge street celebration and the parade went all throughout Madrid.  Everyone there was so nice and happy.  I had so much fun!  The parade was interesting because it was broken up into groups.  There would be a band playing and people dressed up walking and then about a minute later a new band and group would come.  It was so great to be here and experience something new.  The streets were packed!!  We met some Americans who were stationed all throughout Europe and it was nice to chat with them.  I had a blast and the music was fun.

After, we came back in time for dinner.  We then went to the snack bar and planned our day for tomorrow.

I had a fun filled, busy day!  Segovia was beautiful and I had fun in Madrid!