Segovia - when it's not raining

I'm now at Caelli's apartment in Baza which has good internet, so I can catch up on blog posts. Some photos from Segovia...

First - the Aqueduct. The better, lengthier views are from the north side. The right hand end of the Aqueduct goes over the city walls and into the old town.

Back on the south side, which is the main tourist square.

From the Aqueduct, I then headed to the north where the best preserved part of the walls are.

I found a lovely church /monastery right in the walls.

Back onto the walls, heading in the direction of the Alcazar - the castle.

First view of the Alcazar, on the right hand side of the photo.

This was as close as I could go.  There were workmen renovating the path from here on, and it was closed to pedestrians.

Back in to the town, and some photos of interesting buildings.  This one is the Casa del Picos - the House of Spikes.

A lot of the buildings have elaborate decorations, which are really pretty.

Some other nice buildings and I'm not sure what they are.

The spire of the cathedral suddenly appears.....

 And I'm fairly certain that this very large, short-tailed raptor is a Gryphon Vulture. Unfortunately, I didn't have my binocs with me, but it was about the same size as the storks that were flying around.

Segovia to Ávila

I woke this morning to......NO RAIN!! So out onto the balcony to see what I could see.

Yes!  The Aqueduct!!

I'm currently struggling to upload photos due to the weak internet connection in my hostal in Ávila, so I'll just write a bit more then head off to bed.

I walked for ages around Segovia this morning, following the walls for a while and then looking at some of the other buildings. The walls around the northern end are very impressive, wih good views over the surrounding countryside, and then the Alcázar becomes visible. Segovia reminds me of Orvieto in Italy - there are lots of narrow lanes that have interesting buildings in them.

I caught the 2 o'clock bus to Ávila, which was an interesting trip and took about an hour.  Snow-covered mountains all around, and storks on the church in every village (and quite a few  in Ávila, too).  This afternoon I walked the northern section of the walls - about 1.2 km. I climbed every turret, so now my legs are aching.  I then went further west to Los cuatro postes, a viewing point for Ávila. Luckily it was sunny, so I got some nice shots. I caught a bus back because I was wrecked. I should sleep well tonight!

Segovia

The rain in Spain stays mainly in the street.  There are no gutters here in Segovia, and the streets are awash with runoff.  It has rained constantly the whole day, and I'm saturated - especially my socks and runners.  The little hotel I'm staying in is lovely.  I have a small room with a double bed and a little balcony (which is of no benefit whatsoever because IT'S STILL RAINING!!)

Nevertheless, I have walked most of the streets here.  First stop - the Roman Aqueduct.  This an absolutely amazing feat of architecture.  There is no mortar to hold the blocks together, and it's still standing after more than 2000 years.

Snow on the mountains in the background

Next stop was the Cathedral, which looks great.  I didn't go inside because I was heading to...

Gargoyles working well

...the Alcàzar, or the Castle.  Unfortunately, it has scaffolding and shadecloth so one cannot take the perfect photo whilst they are renovating the tower. Inside are some wonderful features, especially on the ceilings.

Walking back along the walls was nice.  I like walls.

And guess what else is here in Segovia?