July 9th- Trip to Segovia

Video:
https://youtu.be/v117qrqodHk



 Today started off with a early gathering under the clock in the Plaza Mayor at 8:30 A.M., normally we meet under the clock at 8:45 or for school we meet in the University at 8:50. Once everyone arrived, we counted off to make sure everyone was present and not long after Señora Escamilla ensured that everyone brought their water bottle. Monica, our API representative, led us to the bus stop where we awaited our two hour ride to Segovia.

    Once we arrived in Segovia we took a few group pictures and gathered in the touring office, where anyone who needed to use the restroom had to pay 20 cientos. After, we met under the aqueduct and learned about how it was built and why the civilians built it. Then we were taken on a guided tour through the city where we saw many of the historic and famous places in Segovia. First, we looked at the different imprints and decorations on the outside wall of the homes of the locals and listened to how the impressions were made. After, we visited La Mujer Muerta, which is a famous mountain that resembles the figure of a lady lying down with her hands on her stomach, and learned about the tale of how the mountain came about. This weekend is the festival in Segovia where dancers from different countries come to share their cultural dances. Next, we walked to a mini plaza that had a statue of Juan Bravo, a hero, and learned about his history and how he died in 1921. Not long after we had been listening to Juan Bravo's history, the foreign dance groups began processing into the plaza to take a picture. The dancers walked and musicians played typical music from their region. Our next stop was the Cathedral and on our way there we accidentally blended in to the parade of dancers, which was pretty cool because we got to see the people and hear the music up close. Once we got to the lovely air conditioned Cathedral, we viewed many of the beautiful organs, shrines, and pieces of art that are being kept in there. The final stop for Segovia was the Castle. The Castle was beautiful and held a lot of history about the people and events that were held there. Most of the Castle had to be rebuilt due to a fire that burned down all the wood ceilings over the course of three days, and the castle is still undergoing reconstruction on the tower, which has 152 stairs with every step ranging from a 1/2 foot to 1 foot in height, that was used to hold prisoners. Finally, we took a twenty minute bus ride to a small city where the King and his family go for vacations. Once inside, we walked part of farm, saw part of the gardens, and most importantly viewed the marvelous fountains. These fountains were not the typical fountains you would expect to see in a castle. They worked like normal fountains but after about 2 minutes the water shot up in to the air, creating a mist that fell from the sky. After another suspenseful 2 minutes the water died down, making you think the show was over, but not long after, the water shot far out to the trees, soaking anyone that was on the path under the stream of water. I really enjoyed visiting Segovia and learning more about the historical culture of Spain, visiting the garden of the Royal family and enjoying the cold water as it fell from the fountain.

Here are multiple pictures from today!