Spectacular Segovia, part 3

Our last stop on Betsy's virtual tour of Segovia: THE CASTLE!

The most spectacular site in Segovia has to be its "Alcazar" (which is Spanish for 'castle', and was originally derived from the Arabic 'al-qasr'). What an evocative sight! The crenellated walls, Rapunzel towers, and an honest-to-goodness moat... it almost seems right out of Make-Believe-Land.

Actually, according to my Lonely Planet guidebook, Walt Disney took its design for Sleeping Beauty's castle from this castle! (Of course, the guidebook then goes on to say, "... or so Segovia’s town propagandists would have you believe.")

Before touring the interior, we climbed to the top via a narrowing and winding staircase—quite a claustrophobic experience for me but surely nothing compared to how it must be in the hot, crowded summer, when the narrow passage has to accommodate those ascending AND those descending at the same time. (This is Spain’s low season so we only occasionally had to squeeze by other visitors going the other way.)


But…the view from the top was worth the strain on the lungs and the psyche. Que fantastico! The photo above is back toward the center of Segovia; the one at right is of the countryside behind the castle; and the photos below are of the castle's courtyard.

(Locate the church in the middle right of the picture to the right: That’s the Knight’s Templar church I mentioned yesterday.)

The interior was in that typically royal style of 'if a little is good, more is better.' Obnoxiously overdone, but curiously beautiful at the same time.

And, although my photographs certainly do not do them justice, I particularly liked the stained glass windows that lined the walls of the throne room and reception room. (Please click to enlarge, then use your imagination to picture them very large and very brightly lit from behind.)

Most surprising of all, I LOVED all the armory, and while I could go on and on about that now, I am going to save it for another entry...So, that's it for Segovia. Hope you enjoyed your tour. :)