Escorial & Segovia
Today we headed out of the city to see some sites not too far from Madrid. At 10am we hopped in the car and headed northwest to a town called Escorial to visit El Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial.
The monstrous edifice has been both a monastery and palace: home of King Felipe II. It is now a national monument and is kept in pristine condition. It is perched on the side of a mountain. Today’s weather was amazingly sunny and clear. We could see Madrid in the distance 30 miles away.
Segovia may be best known for its Roman aqueduct, constructed almost 2000 years ago. Again, it has been very well preserved and is a symbol of the city. Segovia is a very old city, and the older city center retains its classical charm— narrow one way streets that twist and turn and go up and down feels very medieval.
We opted to have coffee and pastries on the main drag in Segovia before perusing the shops and then heading back to Madrid.
Our “on foot” mileage only came in at 6.72 miles, but that combined with the long day, lots of driving and all of our previous late nights had us pretty beat. We opted to rest at the apartment tonight when we got back.
The monstrous edifice has been both a monastery and palace: home of King Felipe II. It is now a national monument and is kept in pristine condition. It is perched on the side of a mountain. Today’s weather was amazingly sunny and clear. We could see Madrid in the distance 30 miles away.
We had lunch at about 2pm in Escorial; we opted for a bigger lunch knowing we probably wouldn’t be going out in the evening. We had pig’s ear — amazing — beef sliders, pork belly, braised beef, and a pigs’ feet tapas dish (just a bite for each of us). Each dish was exquisitely seasoned. We usually try to find a place where it looks like locals are eating. Sometimes it’s ok, sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s great. We hit the jackpot with this one.
After lunch we headed to the town of Segovia (another 40 minutes further northwest). This is definitely contender for favorite stop so far, and possibly even after, this trip. The main stop was a castle called Alcázar … built in 1120, with final additions being finished in 1587. It has been well kept and is in pristine condition.
Segovia may be best known for its Roman aqueduct, constructed almost 2000 years ago. Again, it has been very well preserved and is a symbol of the city. Segovia is a very old city, and the older city center retains its classical charm— narrow one way streets that twist and turn and go up and down feels very medieval.
We opted to have coffee and pastries on the main drag in Segovia before perusing the shops and then heading back to Madrid.
Our “on foot” mileage only came in at 6.72 miles, but that combined with the long day, lots of driving and all of our previous late nights had us pretty beat. We opted to rest at the apartment tonight when we got back.
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