Panoramic tour of Madrid & visit of Segovia - A leisure half day tour of Madrid by bus. Our local guide points out the historic bustling streets of la Calle Mayor and La Gran Via. Also explains the significance of Cibeles to the people of Madrid. Saw Columbus Square and the emblematic Puerta de Alcala - the historical gateway to the city.
Field Trip to the historical town of Segovia by bus. Situated to the North West of the capital, in the Castile region. Segovia is classified as a UNESCO world heritage site. Segovia has many monuments covering the centuries. Also saw the well-preserved Roman Aqueduct, dating from around AD50. A 16th Century Gothic Cathedral and visit to the Alcazar, begun in the 11th Century.
My Observations
Another busy day. This time a bus ride through the city. Like yesterday's walk, but on a bus; look left – then right, then who knows where? It depended on which side of the bus you were on. If lucky, you found a spot to sit where you could shift sides if needed. Wonderful chance to see much and plan what to do on days we have some free time. Compared to Barcelona, Madrid population is double - 1.6 million to 3.3 million.
A few fun stops were; Don Quixote statue & bullring. From there and back on the bus to city of Segovia. I must admit looking at size of Roman built aqueduct was impressive even from quite a distance away. Up close was even more a wonder – how did they do this? Length – 18 km. Height - 28 meters, and made of cut stone with NO MORTAR used. All done 2,000 years ago. Yes, a walk through the city was just as impressive. We were even impressed by eating @ 100 Montaditos – your pick of 100 types of sandwiches. All tasty – all too large for 1 person.
No time for a Siesta – bus ride now to Alcazar. Another beautiful castle. Look at details via link below.
Nice ride back to Madrid, then dinner @ la caña restuarante. How do you spell – good food? L-a-c-a-ñ-a.
Here are links for highlights:
Madrid http://wikitravel.org/en/Madrid
Don Quixote http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Quixote
Columbus Square http://www.aviewoncities.com/madrid/plazadecolon.htm
Segovia http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/311
Segovia – Roman Aqueduct video http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/311/video
100 Montaditos sandwiches http://spain.100montaditos.com/en/
Alcazar http://www.alcazardesegovia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/english.pdf
la caña restuarante http://www.grupandilana.com/en/restaurants/la-cana
Photo 1. I’m “following” the lead of Don Quixote & Sancha Panza – follow your dreams (-:
Photo 2. Our bus, or coach as it is called locally, is fully “equipped.”
Photo 3. Most graffiti here are tags of local “artists.” 1UP showed “up” in many places.
Click here for today's online photo album.
https://picasaweb.google.com/magwheel44/Day11Of2723Oct14ThursdayMadridSegovia
