I should have known something big was taking place when I discovered that part of the Main Plaza was blocked off as I made my way into Avila this morning. I had no idea, however, that it involved the Prince of Spain, heir to the royal throne.
Avila is located about 70 miles northeast of Madrid, or 1 hour and 20 minutes via bus. Known as the city of walls, Avila is home to about 53,000 people. We left Madrid and passed through the mountains before arriving in this city that sits about 3,630 feet above sea level and is surrounded on all sides by 12-century walls.
It was around 10:45 a.m. and a band was setting up to play, with its members clad in red pants, navy blue long sleeve uniforms and white hats. The shirts had matching red cuffs and collars and the members were carrying a variety of instruments. I kept walking as I tried to figure out what was going on when suddenly six men dressed in black suits who were wearing ear pieces and dark sun glasses like the Secret Service agents walked by me. A few moments later, I finally found out why this normally tranquil city was abuzz. Prince Felipe, the son of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, the man who will one day be king of Spain, was set to visit Avila today and then have lunch. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the future king but didn't see him while I was there today.
But the day trip to Avila was definitely not disappointing! As I mentioned earlier, a portion of the city is surrounded by massive walls that were built to protect it from the Moors. The walls are home to nine gates, 88 observation towers and more than 2,500 turrets. Most of the walls are still in their original form from the end of the 11th Century. The walls are nearly 40 feet tall and cover a distance of about 1.5 miles. Only nobles used to live within the city's walls and the rest of the population lived outside; however, the entire city would enter the walls when there was danger or an attack. For about 300 years, Avila was led by either the Muslims or Christians -- until the fall of Toledo in 1085. Since then the Christian influence has dominated.
I also visited a 12th Century cathedral, a basilica and the Convento de Santa Teresa. Saint Teresa was a very important woman in Spain's Catholic church and she was born in Avila.
After spending a couple of hours in Avila, it was back on the bus to head 37 miles northeast to Segovia, the place that inspired Walt Disney's creation of the Sleeping Beauty castle. Both Avila and Segovia have been named World Heritage sites because of their beauty and monuments.
I was excited to visit Segovia for two reasons. First, I wanted to see the Roman aqueduct. Second, I wanted to see the Alcazar, or fortress. Segovia is home to about 60,000 people and is located about 3,300 feet above sea level. Its claim to fame is that it is home to the best preserved Roman aqueduct in the world. Built in the 1st Century, the aqueduct in Segovia is more than 2,000 years old. The aqueduct took water from the mountains to the city for hundreds of years. It is some 9.3 miles long but most of it is underground. Only the part closest to Segovia is above ground. About 2,360 feet of the aqueduct is above ground. It has 166 arches and a channel that runs across the top that transported the water. It was absolutely stunning. The Romans did not use mortar and they did not use cement to hold the almost 20,000 granite blocks together! And, it worked until 1950!!! Its highest point is 92 feet from the surface. I climbed as high as I could to get the best few but it was not possible to walk across the aqueduct. When I traveled to Barcelona as a sophomore in high school, we also visited an aqueduct that you could walk across.
After seeing the aqueduct, I visited Segovia's cathedral, which took some 200 years to complete. Its Gothic architecture was quite impressive. From there, it was off to the Alcazar, the place that inspired some of Walt Disney's work. Alcazar is an Arabic word that means fortress. The Alcazar looks like a fairy tale castle. It was built in the middle ages and became one of the favorite residences for the king. This castle was used by the kings between the 12th and 16th Centuries. Felipe II was the last king to use it. Afterward, it was used as a prison, artillery school and today a place to visit. A fire destroyed the castle's roof and damaged the framework in March 1862. A lot of it was reconstructed.
The Alcazar's design actually inspired Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle that you see at the center of Disneyland.
At 4:30, I boarded the bus and headed back to Madrid, located about 75 miles south, or 80 minutes by bus. It was a busy day and I traveled about 173 miles on bus to visit the two cities. The walls of Avila and Segovia's aqueduct and Alcazar were breathtaking and so much better than the pictures I had seen in my guidebook.
I returned to Madrid around 6 p.m. and had dinner in the Plaza Mayor. I decided to eat tapas tonight and enjoyed a tortilla espanola (Spanish omelet) and patatas bravas (potatoes that are cut into shapes slightly smaller than a potato wedge and then served with warm and spicy tomato sauce). Both were delicious!
Tomorrow, I'm taking another day trip from Madrid to visit Toledo, the city of three cultures! Look for another update tomorrow evening!
Buenas noches!
I love the pictures of Avila. I'm planning on stopping there by myself to check it out for my students.
ReplyDeleteDuring one visit I was told that a meeting between Queen Isabel and Christopher Colombus took place in the main hall of the Alcazar of Segovia. That's pretty exciting history!
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