We left Madrid earlyish this morning and headed around 100kms north to Segovia which has been in existence since at least the early 2nd century as that is when the Romans built the aqueduct for which Segovia is famous.
It's full length from its origins in the Guadarrama mountain range is over 16kms. It was built to supply Segovia with water (and still does) and is considered a masterpiece of Roman hydraulic engineering as the stones are not joined by either mortar or cement. It was declared a World Heritage site in 1985.
No matter from what angle you look at it, it is a very impressive and imposing sight!
At the other end of the historic city is the Alcazar which was built in the 11th century and added to over the next 8 centuries. In early years it was the residence of the Castilian monarchs & currently houses the Spanish Military Historical archive.
From in front of the Alcazar you get a very good view of the valleys either side of the town, valleys which are very arid and rocky but because we don't have this type of countryside are very pleasant to look at.
There was much more to Segovia - Cathedral, churches, plazas, well maintained buildings a lot with heavy "fresco" work on them - but the impression it made was more thank God the history of it has been preserved for our and future generations particularly when one considers the history that has been lost in the destruction in Syria and other middle eastern countries of the ancient buildings and monuments.
On the trip back to Madrid we stop off at El Escorial where the significant attraction in the town is the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, a building dating from 1563.
It's dimensions are quite staggering - facade length 207m, surface area of over 33,000 m2, contains 16 patios, 88 fountains, 13 small chapels, 15 cloisters, 86 staircases, 9 towers, 1200 doors & 2673 windows - and is so big it is impossible to get it all in one photo
I don't think we have seen a bigger building on any of our travels!
A comfortable drive down the A-6 (speed limit 120) saw us back in Madrid around 5 o'clock to complete an enjoyable day.
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