Que Bonita Segovia!

I took a short trip to Segovia during my first weekend in Spain with two of my companeros de Simmons College. Intrigued by talk of an aqueduct, a castle that inspired Walt Disney and the city's famous conchinillo (roasted suckling pig), we took a one-hour bus ride north from Madrid's Principe Pio station to take a look (and taste) for ourselves.


After a 10 minute walk down a main street from the bus station, we were greeted with the dramatic sight of the city's Roman aqueduct, built at the end of the 1st century BC.



A little further up the winding, narrow, shop-lined street that also happens to accommodate cars (!) is the Segovia Cathedral. This Gothic cathedral was build in the mid 1500s.

A little further up the street was the stunning Alcazar, built toward the end of the 11th century. Although the name is a relic from the Moors who occupied Spain for almost 500 years, I haven't found definite information that they made it as far north as Segovia. Historians say that the Romans initially built on this site originally. It has been the home of Castillian Kings, and the influence for Cinderella's Castle at Disney World. Both the building and the view from the Alcazar are stunning!

Of course, by the time we walked from the aqueduct, to the cathedral, and to the Alcazar, we were quite hungry. Restaurants featuring menu del dia lined the path; most featuring the dish the city is known for; Conchinillo. It is served different ways in different places (i.e., whole versus pieces) and we expected the most dramatic entrance; snout, tail and all. Instead, at Restaurante La Catedral we got a chunk of the leg that featured fork-tender, full-flavored pork and a wafer-crisp, caramelized skin.




You can see the main sites of Segovia in a day, which makes it a perfect day-trip from Madrid. It's beauty is a true payoff!