Segovia

Segovia

Acueducto de Segovia

Segovia was originally name Segobriga which means "the City of Victory", but when the Romans settled they called the city Segovia. 

The aqueduct was built when the Romans controlled Segovia. It transports water from the Fuente Fría river to Segovia (a total of 11 miles). This was built in the 1st Century A.D. It is one of the best preserved ancient monuments from in all of Spain. 

 

Catedral de Santa Maria de Segovia

The Segovia Cathedral was built in 1527 under Roman rule. It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. What is a little unusual about this cathedral is that it is in the Plaza Mayor of Segovia. 

 Alcázar de Segovia

 This Castle is one of the most distinctive castles in Spain. It was built around 1155. It was built as a fortress. It has been used as a royal palace, then a prison, and finally before being turned into a museum it was used as a Royal Artillery College and Military Academy. It was also one of the castles that inspired Walt Disney's Cinderella castle. 

 The architecture was so ornate even the windows. But the surrounding area looked like California in the summer time. 

Flags of the different royal families of Spain as well as the different flags of Segovia through the years hung from the ceiling. 

Palacio Real de La Granja de San Ildefonso

 The Palace of Granja was built in 1721 under the rule of King Phillip V. It is loosely modeled after Versailles, which was built by his grandfather, King Louis XIV of France It is dedicated to Saint Ildefonsus and there is a small shrine to the Saint on the grounds giving the palace its name.

  

 In the gardens are many bronze statues. When I first stepped out into the garden I was extremely confused because there were tons of people standing around just looking at the statues. I thought maybe they just really liked them. Then I realized that they had water shows for the guest touring the palace. These take place every 30 minutes. It is a little taste of what the palace was like back in the day. 

I found a 4 Leaf Clover!!!

These mountains are the Sierra de Guardarramas. These were a favorite place for royalty to hunt.

Also I feel like I found a little piece of home right here with the redwood tree just growing in front of the palace.