We went to the beautiful city of Segovia, located north of Madrid. The historic town of Segovia was established around 75 B.C. and is known for its Roman aqueduct.
Bev, Shelley, and Ray in Segovia near the Roman Aqueduct.
The aqueduct is a central focus of the city and was an amazing site to see. The architectural and ingenuity of the design was impressive.
Segovia Roman Aqueduct
The aqueduct was built during the first century AD and there is no mortar of any kind in the structure. It has endured the test of time delivering water until 1922 when the city blocked the flow of water through the aqueduct.
Segovia aqueduct constructed with no mortar in 1st-century A.D.View of the two tiers of the aqueduct in Segovia
The line of arches is organized into two levels, the top pillars are both shorter and narrower than those on the lower level. On the upper level, of the aqueduct, the arches are 5.1 meters (16.1 ft) wide. The top of the structure contains a channel through which the water traveled. The overall length of the raised aqueduct section is 813 meters and is 28 meters high ( 92 feet).
One of the arches in the Segovia aqueduct.
After exploring the aqueduct, we explored the main area of Segovia and saw some of the historic sites.
Cathedral of SegoviaCity hall in Segovia Spain.View of the old quarter in central SegoviaStatue near church of San Martin in SegoviaChurch of San Martin in Segovia
Segovia is also on the main route of the Camino de Santiago de Madrid. We walked along the streets of Segovia admiring the beautiful buildings. The city is rich with history and we could see it almost everywhere in the old quarter. It is truly a beautiful city.
The Alcázar of Segovia is a world heritage site in beautiful Segovia Spain. This castle is unique and is recognizable by its unique style. It is claimed that Walt Disney Castle was inspired by a variety of Castles including the Segovia Castle.
Peaked style roof at Alcázar Castle in Segovia, Spain
Note the similar style of roofs between the Disney Castle and the Alicázar Castle.
Walt Disney Cinderella Castle
The Alcázar Castle was built high above the point of two rivers on cliffs between two rivers. The Alcázar was originally built as a fortress but over the centuries it has also been used as a royal palace, a prison, and a military garrison.
Inside the castle, there were numerous rooms with assorted artifacts. We walked through the different rooms looking at the architecture and displays.
Ray and Bev “guarding the Door” in the Alicázar castlemedieval armory on display in the castle.Displays in the Alicázar castle
All of the ceilings were ornately decorated and painted.
One of the ceilings in the Segovia castle.
In the center of the castle, there was a large courtyard with a central fountain.
Bev and Shelley in central courtyard of the Castle in Segovia
The castle had some unique features that definitely resembled the Disney castle.
We enjoyed walking through the rooms and exploring the 12-century castle.
I decided to take an early morning walk from my hotel to one of the biggest parks in Madrid called “Parque del Buen Retiro”. I started out walking along some of the back streets of Madrid towards the park. It was a fairly quiet walk and I was able to enjoy the serenity of being fairy alone in this large city of 3 million people. What was enjoyable was seeing things at a slower pace and noticing the beauty of the city. I walked along a quiet street and noticed some inlaid writing on the road. Normally the street would be too busy to read it.
Writing on the road in Madrid
It translates as “The Beauty” “What it is we do not know what for now with certainty mathematics, maybe we never know; but that beauty is something, that exists, that pulsates in nature, and that, just as the wave that reaches the beach breaks into foam .. speech of entrance in the real Spanish academy” -José Eche garay
I came across some unique bronze statues or city workers that appeared to be randomly placed in areas of the city.
A statue of a street sweeper in Bronze in MadridA bronze statue of a worker who would light the street lamps in Madrid
I arrived early at the Parque del Buen Retiro which literally means – park of the pleasant retreat. The gate that I entered into the park was stunning and was very welcoming.
One of the gates to the Parque del Buen Retiro in Madrid
The park itself has some very beautiful vistas and paths. I began to walk the paths with no set direction in mind. I was simply enjoying the tranquility and beauty of the park.
Each path would join other paths that could lead you in many directions. I walked along some of the secluded areas of the park admiring the beauty of the trees.
I eventually found my way to an area called the Crystal Palace. The palace was constructed of ornate glass and was visually stunning to see.
Crystal Palace in MadridA section of the crystal palace in Buen Retiro park in Madrid
The palace which was built-in 1887 to exhibit flora and fauna.
Section of the Crystal Place in Madrid
The palace was almost completely made with glass and was an impressive building. I walked around the building and came across a pond at the front of the Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace in the Buen Retiro Park in Madrid
I walked around for approximately three hours enjoying the sights and sounds of the park. There were people gathering in the park as the day progressed. I could see people jogging, kids playing, couples holding hands and people on tour bikes.
People enjoying the Buen Retiro Park in Madrid
There were some interesting groups in the park as well. One group was doing synchronized moves using Spanish hand fans called “Abanico”
Another group was playing music for money as people walked by.
Musicians playing music in the park for donations.
The Buen Retiro Park is a beautiful and a large nature area in the heart of Madrid.
Below are some of the pictures that I took of the Buen Retiro Park.
One of the gates into Retiro Park
Bird in Retiro Park
Path in Retiro Park
Unique tree in Retiro Park
One of the many birds in Retiro Park
Crystal Palace in Retiro Park
Flower in Retiro Park
One of the many statues in Retiro Park
It was a very relaxing and enjoyable day. I recommend to anyone who goes to Madrid to take a relaxing day and walk through the park.
We took a trip out to Agost, a small town near Alicante. This town is known worldwide for its excellent handcrafted pottery.
We went to a family operated pottery facility which has been in the same family for two hundred years. They provided us with a tour throughout their entire process of making handmade pottery.
We started outside and the guide explained how they select the soil, clean and treat it in preparation to make it into clay.
Guide, explaining the process of selecting the soil for clayFlatbeds for drying the washed soil for clay
We then headed inside the factory to see the next stages of the pottery being created.
The filter process of the soil used for clayThe guide demonstrating the pump system used to get clay
We went into a work area where we watched a potterer create pottery from clay.
A worker making clay pottery and demonstrating the process
We enjoyed the tour and learning about the art of pottery making. We then visited the showroom where there was some very neat handcrafted pottery.
Pottery showroomSome of the finished pottery on display in the showroom
There is definitely an art to making pottery and it was a very interesting process.
We went to Busot, Spain which is a small mountain town 18 kilometers from Alicante. The views were amazing on the way up the mountain on our way to see the Caves of Canelobre.
View from the entrance area of the caves in Busot, Spain
The entrance to the caves is on the northern slopes of the mountain ridge known as Cabezón de Oro.
Entrance to the Caves
We went to buy our tickets to go and see the caves but discovered that they just closed for the day. Our friend Felipe who is also a tourist guide spoke to the manager. He did his magic and the manager opened up the caves just for us. We went down a long hallway to the entrance of the caves.
The hallway to the “Coves del Canelobre”
When we reached the end of the hallway we came to an open cavern area. There was a platform which you could see the large cave area.
Ray in the Caves of CanelobreThe main platform area in the caves
We were able to go to the edge of the platform where we could see all the main areas of the cave. We looked at the main cave area which has a height of 70 meters and is shaped like a cathedral ceiling.
The cave which has many stalactites and stalagmites and is similar in shape as a cathedral ceiling.
It is amazing to see the caves, which were formed millions of years ago. There were different size stalactites and stalagmites throughout the cave. They only grow about 1 cm every one hundred years. Stalagmites are formed by calcium salt deposits formed by dripping water and often unit with stalactites.
Stalactites and stalagmites throughout the cave.
It was neat to be the only ones in the caves and able to see them without any other people around. The main cave area is the candelabra formation, which is the official name of the caves.
Stalagmites formed over many thousands of years.
The caves are a true natural wonder and an amazing site. We enjoyed our visit to the caves and were very thankful to have a private viewing of the caves.
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