Liberty Lyceum Travel

Spain’s high-speed (AVE) train lines make day trips to other cities from Madrid very easy. We took such a day trip this week, traveling to beautiful Segovia to see its “fairy tale castle” (it looks similar to the one in Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty”) and other historic sites.

One section of the large Roman aqueduct in Segovia

Segovia is about 92 km (57 miles) from Madrid, just beyond the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains (see our Travel Map). Though it has a population of only 55,000 (compared to Madrid’s 5 million), Segovia used to be far more important than Madrid.

Segovia was the seat of government for the kingdom of Castile-León when Isabel la Católica (Isabel the Catholic) became Queen in 1474. Later, she married Ferdinand, King of Aragon, in Segovia, and they formed their powerful and dynamic partnership with a motto of “Tanto Monta” – meaning “they amount to the same” or “equal opposites in balance.” This is why they were such a powerful couple: They were both monarchs in their own right, and they vowed to continue that way in their pre-nuptial agreement.

Americans know of Isabel and Ferdinand primarily as the Spanish monarchs who sponsored Christopher Columbus’s voyage in which he discovered “the New World,” but in their lifetime they were more famous at home for taking over all the other kingdoms in what is now the nation of Spain, and unifying it as a Catholic country. The year they accomplished that was 1492, so it was a very busy year for them, and effectively the beginning of Spain as the country it is today.

Centuries before that, though, Segovia was an important Roman city. One impressive remnant of that time, for which the town is justly famous, is the large Roman aqueduct that runs through the center of town. Miss C researched the aqueduct and here explains how it worked:

“The Roman Aqueduct in Segovia transports water some 32 kilometers (almost 20 miles) from the Fuente Fría River, with a source in the nearby mountains, into the main town. It is estimated that it was constructed sometime between the late 1st century AD and early 2nd century. This scale model shows the aqueduct’s route through the town.

Although the towering arches are very impressive, they actually only support the main duct at the top. As you can see in the model, these arches are used where the land dips into a valley in town (now Plaza del Azoguejo – map), to keep the water flowing at the same level. The duct within the stone is at a small slant, a one percent grade, keeping the water flowing with gravity, but not too fast. Today, the aqueduct is a definitive symbol in Segovia—it can even be seen on the city’s coat of arms. If you want to learn more about Roman aqueducts, this site has a great overview.”

Please see our photos of the aqueduct and other sights around this lovely town.

But wait, there’s more: a beautiful castle

One corner of the Alcazar of Segovia

Walking north from the aqueduct, we headed through the Plaza Mayor (the main square in any Spanish town), the one where Isabel was crowned Queen. It is bordered on one side by the huge, gothic Cathedral of Segovia. Continuing our walk, we passed by a twelfth century church, and couldn’t help thinking of the interior murals of another twelfth century church from Segovia that we had seen preserved and installed inside the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

Finally, we reached our destination at the north end of town, on top of a huge natural rock fortress that would have been inpenetrable in the middle ages. This was the Alcazar (Castle) of Segovia, the one in which Isabel la Catolica immediately took refuge when she heard that her predecessor had died.

Existing parts of the castle date to the twelfth century (it was built on top of Roman remains), yet it was maintained and updated through the nineteenth century, when it was used as a military school. It’s presented much as it would have been in the 14^th through 16^th centuries, a wonderful look at an exciting period in Spain’s history. It was so enjoyable to visit compared to visiting the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) in Madrid, where they wouldn’t let us take photos and herded us down narrow roped areas. Here at the Segovia Castle, everything was amazingly open, and we were able to take lots of photos. Please take a look.

Segovia is now a World Heritage Site, and, like Córdoba, a finalist to be a European Capital of Culture in 2016. Another fine contender!

We are really glad we were able to visit Cordoba. It is a beautiful city of about 350,000, just up the Guadalquivir River from Seville. At one point in its history it was the largest city in Spain, and a center of learning. It also was a place in which Muslim, Jewish, and Christian people co-existed and thrived together.

The arched columns of Cordoba's Mezquita

All that changed not when Christians “re-conquered” Cordoba, but later (they considered it — or justified it as — a reconquest because the area had been held by Visigoths, who were Christian, 500 years before). At first, the Christian kings took over to rule the area but not to persecute or exile its other people. In fact, the blend of Moorish (Muslim) and Christian architectural styles, called “Mudejar,” gives many of its older buildings their characteristic look. But in 1492, all Jews and Muslims were forced to either convert to Christianity or leave Spain. Many converted, but even then they weren’t considered equal to “original” Christians.

Today, Cordoba is trying to embrace all the aspects of its history. It is a finalist candidate to become a “European Capital of Culture” in 2016 (here’s the Mayor of Cordoba’s letter about it, in English). Renovations and improvements were happening everywhere while we were there — along both sides of the riverfront, most visibly. They are doing a beautiful job of vying to be a capital of culture.

We have six groups of photos to share with you from Cordoba. The first group are photos from around town, which will give you a feel for the look of the narrow streets in the old part of town as well as the Roman bridge and the views from both sides of the river.

Then we toured the historic Mezquita-Catedral (mosque/cathedral). It was a huge and important mosque when Cordoba was a Caliphate, ruled by Muslim leaders. When Ferdinand III conquered Cordoba in 1236, the mosque was first “purified,” and then a huge cathedral was installed within the center of the Mezquita. See our photos.

The Torre de la Calahorra (Calahorra Tower) was amazing both outside and in. It looks like the medieval fortress it was originally built to be, but inside it houses a very 21st century museum, one that promotes the understanding of the three religious cultures in Andalusian history — Islamic, Judaic, and Christian. Our favorite thing there was a room in which wax figures representing the great leaders of each culture “spoke” about their beliefs (we listened on headphones in English). Maimonides, the famous Jewish scholar, who was born in Cordoba, explained Jewish ideas. The fact that each of these religions recognizes just one God, and that it’s the same God, was emphasized. See our photos.

We then toured the Judería, the old Jewish quarter, which was a thriving home to many Jewish intellectuals until Jews were expelled in 1492. We enjoyed a museum about Sephardic culture (of Jews from the Iberian peninsula) and a look at the only restored Synagogue in Andalusia. See our photos.

Our last visit to a historic site in Cordoba was the Alcázar (Al-CAH-zar) de los Reyes Cristianos, or the Alcazar (Castle) of the Christian Monarchs. This was built in 1328, but its heyday was definitely in the time of Isabel and Ferdinand, who are THE Christian Monarchs in Spanish history (the ones who expelled all the Jews and Muslims, and unified the country as a Christian kingdom). This castle is where they held court when Christopher Columbus came to them for sponsorship of his voyage to find a new route the Indies. We also visited the Alcazar’s Arab Baths, a holdover from the time when Cordoba was a Muslim Caliphate.

We really loved beautiful Cordoba. We hope you enjoy our pictures!