Segovia!

8:00 AM out of bed once again.. but this time I actually got up because it wasn't class that I was going to, it was SEGOVIA. I mean the name itself has such a... ring to it. I feel like I'm going away to some mystical, far-away palace where all my dreams will come true... Segovia is a city just about an hour northwest of Madrid and is famous for it's beautiful architecture and scenery. That's about the extent to what I knew about it going in.
So I woke up and had all my things laid out already so that it was fast and easy to get ready when my eyes were glazed over.. coffee would do the trick. Got ready very fast made myself some cereal made sure I had what I wanted and I was on my way..EARLY That makes a first for my time in Madrid.. but it felt very good. I got to walk around casually and take a few pictures before getting there. I was hoping to be able to walk all around when I got there, but Pat and Steve were already there so I talked to them and got some coffee until everyone else got there 30 minutes later.. After figuring out a few ticket problems.. we were on our way to SEGOVIA. No idea what to really expect, but luckily.. out quasi tour guide, Pat, had everything worked out for us in his itinerary supplemented by his map and tour book. We were set. For most of the ride there sean and I were messing around with our cameras / listening to music. It was an unspoken competition to see who could take the better and/or more artsy pictures during the trip.. but it was all in good fun. He ended up taking 500 pictures on the trip alone... I guess that's what happens when you have a big SLR camera.
After the expected wait outside of the station in Segovia while we figured out our first stop and did the potty breaks for the 15 + people in our group, we were off... at a snail's pace. Which was nice because there is so much to see and so many Kodak moments (See the pictures above and this link to my online album). We stepped inside of a small cathedral first which wasn't too impressive, but then soon got to the ancient aqueduct system in the city which looked a little like a bridge and was in use up until the 19th century. More photos. Then a few more. But it was nice to fool with my camera and definitely got some great photos.
I liked traveling with a large group because it gives you the chance to get to talk to a lot of people because there were still a lot of people I hadn't gotten to know that well. But in the future less would be better for the sake of pace and not sticking out too much. So after passing through a series of winding small roads we got to the main Plaza Mayor (I think that's a pretty popular plaza name) and it is home to the main Cathedral in Segovia which is absolutely massive and was built by the Moors. It is the last major Gothic style building to be built in Spain and has a hint of Renaissance style as evidenced by the large domes on top. Although I didn't go inside, the building looked beautiful by the looks of a few pictures that I saw. Massive. Like Bapst times 20. Our last main stop in Segovia was the Castle which was on a cliff on the edge of the city. I found myself lagging behind for most of it looking around.. there was so much to see.. and so many pictures to take. Got a bit artsy with the water fountain shots, but it happens sometimes. But Gigi was nice enough to stay back with me. She's a very good friend and is very thoughtful. I've gotten to know her well over this trip although I had never met her before on campus. The Castle was very nice looking inside even though in 1864 it had been set on fire. After exploring the rooms we headed up to the top of the tower .. all 160 steep and spiraling steps. Yes, I counted. It was a great view from up there and got a great panorama shot of the place.
By the time we got down and walked around for a bit it was time to catch the bus to Lag... can't remember the rest of the name but it is a nearby town with a "mini-Versailles" bulding there. I've never seen Versailles but it was an amazing building with a beautiful gardens outside of it. Unfortunately we didn't have much time there because we had to catch a bus about a half hour after. After we got back to Segovia we went to the 3rd best bakery in Spain.. it was pretty good.. I didn't like the main thing I got but I tried a few others'. While we were eating there were some soldiers who were doing performances with their guns and music playing. It's all one huge tourist attraction. There was even a wedding there soon after and I half think that was fake just for the tourists' sake.. Time was running low so I had to run back to make my bus back to Madrid and luckily Alicia was also on my bus so I talked to her for the whole time.. mostly in Spanish which was good after a day of all English.
Just when I thought it was all over and I was walking back to my place there was a big festival going on right near my place with a concert starting a bit later and these big/ huge paper mache*sp puppets that were controlled by individuals inside of each of them who were dancing around to music played by a small band with them. It was a very cool and interesting spectacle and a great way to end the night!