Jen had been to Segovia before, but I hadn’t. It is a quite
spectacular sight, the old town set high on a rocky spur, surrounded by the
rivers Eresma and Clamores. The twelfth century Alcazar is perched on a rocky
outcrop, like the prow of a ship, its towers and turrets like something out of
a fairy tale. To extend the nautical metaphor, the pinnacles of the splendid
cathedral rise like masts, and the 1st century Roman aqueduct trails
behind like a rudder.
The beauty of the city is that so many sites are within
walking distance. Here, I’ll briefly look at two.
Aqueduct
The aqueduct was in use until the late 19th
century. This construction still takes your breath away, standing tall and
slicing through the city. It consists of two tiers of arches, about 2,400ft in
length and follows the contours of the ground. Its maximum height is 95ft. The
design, incorporating sufficient gradient for the water to flow from the river
source, through a series of tanks along the way, is impressive too. And the
structure is constructed without benefit of mortar.
Sgraffito
So many building facades are endowed with attractive and
elaborate geometric shapes, almost like tapestry, covering the entire wall. The
technique involved scratching the plaster coat to create the symmetric shapes
and goes back to the 16th century. In Segovia there are in excess of
300 different sgraffito examples. 
Next: the Alcazar
and the Cathedral.
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