SEGOVIA! One of the most beautiful places I've ever traveled!

Yesterday we traveled to the city of Segovia located about an hour North of Madrid. After a short bus ride with our IES program we were dropped off in front of Segovia's famous aqueduct built in the second century. It is one of Spain's most prized and best preserved ancient monuments. When you hear of Segovia this is one of the first things that comes to mind. The aqueduct is built out of granite blocks of brick and stretches to about 2,950 feet! It was great being able to visit it with friends and a free tour guide loading us with information! 

After visiting the aqueduct we walked through the city which was constructed of very old and beautifully architected buildings. The streets were very narrow but everything about the city was amazingly beautiful. Our second stop was the Cathedral of Segovia, the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever seen in my life! It is a Roman Catholic religious cathedral located in the center of the city and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The cathedral was built in the 16th century by Juan Gil Hontanon a famous architect of Segovia who deals with Gothic type style buildings. 

The palace of Alcazar was next on our list of places to visit in Segovia. Alcazar (located below) is one of the most distinctive palaces in all of Spain. Alcazar was originally built in the 12th century and served as a royal palace for kings and royal ceremonies and is surrounded by an extremely large and deep moat. Each room had the most beautifully architected ceiling I have ever seen in my life. The view from inside the palace looked out over all of Segovia because it is located on the largest hill in the city. You are able to see everything from inside of the palace. There was a special room for where the royal ceremonies took place as well as several rooms dedicated solely to artillery gear that the knights used to wear. It was one of the most interesting rooms of all. 

       
              (Moat of Alcazar)                                           (Artillery room)

After touring the Alcazar castle we had to climb down the extremely high hill that the palace is located on. The steps were extremely steep and it took us a while to get down them. We then visited the church of Vera Cruz. The church of Vera Cruz was used for the Knights Templar, a medieval secret society. It is a 12 sided structure with a tower also overlooking the city. The church was built in the 13th century. 

After a long tiring day of walking around Segovia an sightseeing we ate a 7 course meal at a restaurant about a half hour away. The lunch included roasted red peppers, una tortilla, croquetas, bread with tomato paste spread, salad with tuna, chicken as the main course, and ponche. (a spanish dessert) A great finish to an amazing day!