Cathedral de Segovia
Right outside our hotel, was a cute cafe with great pastries. Barry and I started the day with cappuccino and this ridiculous chocolate bar of delicousness. We REALLY weren't supposed to eat this!!! I know when I get home, I will be done with this kind of food so I'll enjoy the last hurrah!
Today... cathedral day. It's time to explore Cathedral de Segovia! This is a shot of it from afar.. it definitely stands out in this town! The cathedral is in the center and looks majestic from afar. Located in the Plaza Mayor, this landmark made it easy to find our hotel! We are staying in the same Plaza.
Nearing the cathedral, I stopped for a photo from the base of one of the towers. Spring finally arrived to Segovia! Green leaves were filling the trees.. in other parts of town, flowers were blooming. We missed the snow by a week!
After paying our three euro, we walked through the entrance and wow! Similar to many European cathedrals, the massive archways dominated the initial impression. Built between 1525 and 1577, this was the third attempt at a cathedral for Segovia. The first destroyed in 516 during the Arian Persecution. The second was near the Alcazar. This third attempt was not without problems... in 1614 the spire was destroyed by fire from a lightening storm. The community joined together to fund the rebuild.
Looking from the choir area, this view is in direct line from where the Priest speaks. Behind me are intricately carved wooden seats for the choir. A giant organ is installed above the choir room. I would love to be in town when an actual service was taking place. The acoustics must be AMAZING!
This book of music is stored behind glass. It was interesting to see the style of writing. Each page was filled with notes, words and a painted picture. A necessity for creating worship music, but displayed the way it is makes it a work of art...
Just outside the choir area was this bench. Made of beautiful dark wood, this bench is shaped to fit perfectly around the post. Beautiful carvings accent the piece. I love this unique style!
An impressive arch holds the wrought iron. The Gothic design intrigues me. The posts rise to meet and blend in with the ceiling. I can't help but imagine the workers who created the textures on the ceiling so many years ago. Behind the gate is where the priest stands to deliver his message.
The cathedral has a series of chapels lining the perimeter. These magnificent ceilings are in the heart of the room. Near the front of the grand church, the design and colors created a stunning work of art. I found myself studying the craftsmanship ! Decorated with gold accents and windows that let in a good amount of light. Intricate designs and paintings show the detail put in this place!
One of the more ornate chapels on the perimeter of Cathedral de Segovia, this room was quite impressive! Laden with gold, the carvings, artwork and sculpture stopped me in my tracks. I spent quite a bit of time studying the artistry before me!
I never thought it would be so difficult to get four people to look at the camera at the same time. There are a few times we need a group shot and this was one of them. Chuck was so in awe of the high arched ceilings and cement work, he forgot to look! Understandable... it's incredibly impressive!
A courtyard sits in the very heart of the grounds. Beautiful hallways surround the center area. Shadows from the moving sun, constantly change the look of the handiwork. I was inspired to change the setting on my phone camera to create a black and white image.
I'm guessing we could have left Chuck in Segovia, picked him up a month later and he still wouldn't ready to stop studying the impressive construction all throughout the area. It's fun to travel with history buffs like my three travel partners. They each came at the historical information from a different perspective. Barry always searches out the WWII connections of the places we visit. Jeremy has an uncanny ability to find these little gems to visit. Chuck was excited to make the connection of historical events to the actual locations. Me? I have no idea... I just enjoy the beauty and drive everyone crazy with all the pictures I take. (Unfortunately, I have temporarily misplaced my SD card!)
After we finished exploring the grounds, we prepared to visit the towers! Up, up, up the stairs... after many steps, we would come to a landing where a guide would explain the historical significance of what we were seeing. If only we understood Spanish! As the guide completed sharing the information, we headed back to continue up, up, up the stairs. But before we left the room, Jeremy noticed this button... it was calling to him... "Push the Button" "Push the Button" so... he did. Nothing seemed to happen so we walked away to leave the room... all of a sudden a rather loud soundtrack of information blared. The guide ran (and I mean RAN) back into the room to shut it off. Fortunately, we had walked far enough away that she didn't realize it was Jeremy!
So back up the spiral staircase we go. Narrow steps... very tight turns... I should have counted the number of steps! We stopped at three or four landings so we had quite a climb.
Success! We reached the top! It was worth the climb! We were able to look out over the city from all four sides. My favorite side is this view of a nearby chapel with the green rolling hills in the background.
The tower was lined with bells... massive bells. Each little alcove held a different sized bell and had a viewing area. Chuck and Jeremy were good sports to let me take their picture!
These two photos allow you to see the size of the cathedral grounds. Each shows a different area of the large compound. Gardens, small chapels, accommodations for the Priest... You can also see the red roofs of the nearby homes and businesses.
Deep in my own thoughts, mesmerized by the tower and surrounding views... the boys were discussing the sites! The shadows of the bell created an almost silhouette effect.
Off to one side was the Alcazar! We will visit that tomorrow! What a great piece of architecture!
Jeremy took a selfie of us... afterwards, I realized he angled it to appear I was wearing a bell hat!
After roaming the halls, chapels and enjoying the view from above, we went down, down, down the circular steps! There were one-way staircases. Once we reached the bottom, we walked out the back door. Still on the grounds, we had the area to ourselves. It was a patio.. what I loved that it allowed us to understand how this cathedral was tucked into the town. It was completely surrounded by flats and restaurants. We decided to take a self-timer photo. After a couple of attempts, we had success! All four travelers and the Cathedral de Segovia in the background...
Now it was my turn... Jeremy walked down the steps and took this shot at a good angle. It shows the massive size of this cathedral!
Just outside the cathedral sits this statue. The waters contrasted the beige buildings that fill the town. Locals sit on cement benches surrounding the fountain. It was the perfect spot to take a little break after our cathedral excursion. Next stop... Alcazar!
