Sam and David in Singapore: Segovia, Spain

One of the half-day excursions that we took from Madrid, was to Segovia. Segovia is a small medieval town with a population of around 50,000 people, that is situated about 90 kilometres north-west of Madrid. To get there we took the AVE high-speed train and it was a comfortable 1/2 hour ride.

Segovia is said to have been founded during the Iberian period (700 BC) and it has a interesting history with the Romans ruling from 80 BC, then the Moors (Muslims from North Africa) from the 8th century, before it finally reverted back to the Christians in 1085.

Segovia is a favourite weekend destination for the locals in Madrid and it is famous for being the capital of Catalan cuisine. Our visit to Segovia was one of the highlights of our trip to Spain, as it is such a charming town with wonderful sights and a town that can very easily be explored by foot.

The Roman Aquaduct

After we got off the train at Segovia's train station, we caught a public bus into the town and it dropped us off at Segovia's most iconic landmark - the Roman Aquaduct. This 2,000 year old aquaduct was built by the Romans, who ruled Spain for more than 500 years. It runs through the town and is 2,500 feet long, 100 feet high, has 166 arches and was made from 20,000 granite blocks. The amazing thing is that neither cement nor mortar was used in the construction of the aquaduct.

It was built to supply Segovia with water and is considered a masterpiece of Roman hydraulic engineering. Today, it is considered to be Segovia's backup plumbing. The Roman Aquaduct was declared a National Monument in 1884 and a World Heritage Site in 1985. The aquaduct itself is amazing and impressive, and going to Segovia just to see the aquaduct was worth the trip.

Convent Sweets (Dulces)
After our visit to the aquaduct, we looked at our map and realised that we were in the same vicinity as a convent that we had read about. Thanks to David's great sense of direction, he led us to the convent easily.
In some parts of Spain, the nuns in the convents earn their living by selling sweets and confections. Many of their recipes come from the times of the Romans and the Moors, which they have preserved over the ages. We read that the process for buying these sweets and confections is archaic, yet charming. The whole process involves no direct contact with the nuns and the use of a lazy Susan to transact the purchase and sale. Typically visitors decide what sweets they want from a list with the prices, they would then ring a bell and wait for a nun to answer, at which time the visitor then places his/her order verbally (the nun on the other side of the wall is not visible). After a few minutes the lazy Susan turns with the ordered items on the turn table. The visitor then reciprocates by placing the money on the lazy Susan and turning it so that the nun gets the money (if there is change required, the nun will then put the change on the lazy Susan for the visitor the collect). The reason for the very archaic process, is that the nuns are cloistered and avoid any direct contact with the public, so it is a transaction that is completely based on trust. That said when we walked into the building, the sweets and confections were visible, and there was no lazy Susan in sight. Nonetheless, we rang the bell and to our surprise, a nun appeared on the other side of the window (so much for this nun being cloistered!). We pointed to the cakes and biscuits that we wanted and conducted the transaction through the glass window. Even though we did not get to experience the traditional process with a lazy Susan, we are glad we got to support the convent and the livelihood of the nuns. That said, the cookies and the biscuits that we purchased were delicious and we enjoyed them while walking to Segovia's cathedral.

Nuestra Senora De La Asuncion and San Frutos Cathedral
After we visited the convent, we walked to Segovia's famous cathedral. Segovia's cathedral is situated in Plaza Mayor, the town main square. Construction of the cathedral started in 1525, but it was only consecrated in 1768. It is a beautiful Gothic cathedral that is embellished with pinnacles and buttresses.

Alcazar of Segovia
After our visit to the cathedral, we made our way to Segovia's Alcazar. The Alcazar of Segovia was built during the 12th century and it was built over the remains of a Roman fortress. Throughout the Middle Ages, this castle was one of the favourite residences of the monarchs of Castile, with each king adding new parts to the original building. During the 18th century, the Alcazar was used as a prison and then it was used as a Royal Artillery School. Today it is a museum open to the general public and it is one of Segovia's main attractions.
While we all took a tour of the castle, David and Greg also climbed the 152 stairs to the top of the tower, where they got a great view of the beautiful surrounding area.

Lunch in Segovia

Segovia is known as the capital of Catalan cuisine, with the most famous speciality being cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig). This suckling pig dish was advertised all over the town and was on the menu of almost every restaurant we passed. After our exploration of the town, we decided to have lunch in Segovia before heading back to Madrid. We found a nice restaurant next to the aquaduct and amongst the speciality dishes that we tried were judiones de la granja (a delicious dish made with flat white beans from the region) and sopa castellana (a soup made with eggs, garlic and bread). It was the perfect meal to help us warm up (there was a cold wind and it was freezing that day!).