Segovia earned its world-class status as a UNESCO heritage site by having three stunning structures crowded together in a small city of about 50,000 people. It makes an ideal daytrip from Madrid (or even a half-daytrip after
the nightmare we had booking a train for the trip from Madrid).
After taking in the awesome span of the Roman aqueduct, it was time for the steep climb into town to see the next of the town's three architectural achievements, its 16thC Gothic cathedral. It dominates the town and is so large and distinctive that we had spotted it from the plane when flying into Madrid a couple days earlier.
Despite being such a vast structure, it is highly decorated outside
and surprisingly intimate inside, crowded with almost two dozen side chapels.
Construction work on the cathedral began in 1525, soon after a war had destroyed the town's previous 15thC cathedral. Quite a lot of the stone, iron grillwork and wood carvings were rescued from the rubble and put to good use in the new building. Even the cloisters (the arcade surrounding the garden which would have been tended by the monks) were pieced back together for the monks' living quarters.
A walk through the light-flooded cloisters led to a small treasury room
and the chapter house, a chamber hung with Flemish tapestries.
I took many, many photographs of the highly-ornate interior and you can find
a full gallery on my Facebook page.
Next stop, the third of Segovia's crowning glories, its fairytale castle.
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