Dec. 30, 2014
Left Salamanca after a morning walk and headed to Avila. Sits 3714 feet above sea level. It is the highest provincial capital in Spain. The main reason we stopped here was to see the Walls of Avila that date back to 1090 when construction on the walls began. The stone wall encircles most of town. There are 9 gates in which to enter and the average height is 39 feet tall! We found FREE parking outside of the walls and hiked up to it for the viewing. Worth a stop!
Then we took off for Segovia because I really wanted to see the Alcázar of Segovia. This castle sits at the top of Guadarrama Mountains and is said to be similar to the shape of a ships bow. Originally it was was built as a fortress and later it was used as royal palace, Royal Artillery College, state prison and military academy, and still hosts a military artillery museum. The building of the Alcazar was started in 1120 and part of the original building burnt in a fire in the 1896.
We drove out of town and up a few side roads, then hiked across a farmers field to take a picture from out of the city. Once back in town we toured the castle and got to the top for a view of the city!
One other noteworthy part of Segovia is the aqueducts. No one is sure when this was constructed though archeologists think it was during the 1st century AD. Parts were destroyed by the Moors in 1072, but restored in the 1400’s. Historically water was transferred from Fuente Fría river, about 11 miles away in the mountains, water ran just over 9 miles before arriving into the city. Again amazing city well worth a stop.
timistravels 
If We ma ke it to Spain, can we use your notes? So enjoy your travels!
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Absolutely that’s partially why I write them. Hoping to give people ideas.
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I love the pictures where you show a vista, like a whole village from above. Gives you a real sense of the area, and the specific pictures fill it in!
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