Segovia and Avila, Spain

We left Madrid today finally after getting caught in ring-highway hell for well over an hour. Did I mention that Madrid is a HUGE city? Well, somehow we made it onto the correct highway and my blood pressure finally settled down, and we were off toward the snowcapped mountains of Castilla y Leon. As a castlephile, I was excited to see Segovia's castle, which was the model for Disneyland's castle. Upon seeing it we were disappointed to find it appearing as fake as Disneyland itself. It's very pretty, but it is clear that it is a modern (1892) reproduction, rather than an historic castle.

However, we were not disappointed by Segovia's fantastic Roman aqueduct. It was built at the end of 1st to early 3rd century BC by the Romans during their occupation of the Iberian Peninsula to bring water from the Frio River (about 18 km away) to the city, requiring an elevated section in its last 1 kilometer (0.6 mi) from the Sierra de Guadarrama to the walls of the old town. This elevated section, largely dominating the nearby scene, is supported by an engineering marvel of 166 arches and 17 pillars in two levels. It is made of 400 large, rough-hewn granite blocks, joined without mortar or clamps. Its maximum height of 100 ft is found at the plaza of Azoguejo.

Segovia had a cute old town, and we were psyched to see our first smaller Spanish town. On to Avila.

We arrived in Avila astounded by the perfectly preserved, tall city walls that completely surrounded the old town. Wow, now this is the medieval Spain that I had been dreaming about!
We checked into our charming little hostal, which was inside the walls for only $52 a night, and then took to climbing up to the city walls. For a few dollars you can walk along the 11th century walls and peer into the valley below. Later we found a nice bodega (wine bar) where we got our first taste of the tapas scene.