To ride or not to ride . . . that was the question of the day. Since the temperature was a balmy 4C after breakfast with a brisk breeze, we opted to find a laundry mat instead of donning all the layers to keep warm when riding. So, we missed seeing several castles. Apparently, we weren't alone with this decision - no one rode today.
We found a laundry mat and then returned to do a some maintenance on the tandem. Afterwards we headed to the old city of Segovia to attend our planned tour of the Alcazar (fortress). We were told that Disney used this particular property as a model for the castle we are all so familiar with. See what you think.
kath vowlesI think that the rumour that Carcassonne was a strong influence on the fairytale castle is as likely to be true.😁 Reply to this comment 1 year ago
Vernon PhinneyA form of cannon designed to be what we call a mortar. Intended to shoot a cannon ball on a high arc to shoot over defenses like castle walls and into trenches dug by siege forces. This was a weapon used extensively in the US Civil War on entrenched enemy. Reply to this comment 1 year ago
Vernon PhinneyA Cassion cannon designed to be pulled by horses and used with cavalry units where speed and agility on the battlefield was important Reply to this comment 1 year ago
After walking through the cathedral, we took a guided tour up the bell tower. This tower used to be the tallest in Europe (108 meters), but lightening struck it in the late 1600s and burned the top part of the tower. It was rebuilt afterwards and now is a dome and only stands at 88 meters. There are 190 steps to the top, but the tour broke it into 3 stages. At the first floor landing we watched a great movie projected on the walls about the history of the cathedral and bell tower. The second landing was the home of the bell keeper and his family. It's 85 square meters comprised of a salon, bedroom, and kitchen. There was an attic space above which is where the bell keeper worked. The final landing was the top where the bells are and it gave us an incredible view of Segovia.
The clock mechanism in the bell tower keeper's residence.
The holes in the ceiling are for the ropes attached to the bells above. The bell keeper used to ring the bells from this attic above his residence in the bell tower. These were in use up until the 1950's when the bells were finally mechanized.
This hole in the attic floor allowed for one or two bells to be rung directly from the salon in the bell keeper's residence. This way he didn't have to run up any stairs to do his job.
Once we finally climbed the 190 stairs to the bells, we had a 360 degree view over Segovia and the surrounding area. I believe we are headed over those plains when we leave tomorrow. (What's the saying: The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plains . . . or something like that . . . stay tuned.)
In case you were wondering just how old or just how much it weighs. In case you're not familiar with European numbering system, this bell weighs 1,384 kilos.
We walked from our hotel which is across the street from the beginning of the remains of the aqueduct all the way along the aqueduct and then we followed it as it went underground to the Alcazar. We were able to follow the underground section by following along these medallions posted on the streets and sidewalks.
1 year ago