Segovia Excursion
The city of Segovia is an historic town set high on a rocky spur, and was once occupied by the Romans in 80BC. Segovia was on the front lines of Muslim and Christian conflict until Christian forces captured the city in 1085. The population has remained relatively stable over the centuries and today hovers at around 50,000. Famous in the 15th-century for its wool production, today's activities are based on agriculture and tourism. The tourist sector was greatly assisted in 1985 when UNESCO declared Segovia a World Heritage City.
El Acueducto (Roman Aqueduct)
 The Segovia Aqueduct is one of the greatest surviving monuments of Roman engineering. Built in the 1st Century AD, it stretches 2950 feet, is 110 feet high, and has 166 arches. The aqueduct was invented by the Romans to transport clean water from nearby hills across a valley into towns. This proved to be quite challenging to build. It is made of massive granite blocks joined without mortar or clamps. Notice the large indents on the sides of enormous rocks. These indents are where the Romans picked the rocks up to position them in perfect order. The engineering had to be just right in order to get the water to run through the channels at the right speed. An amazing fact is that the Segovia aqueduct continued to be used until the late 1900’s.
El Alcazar (Alcazar Castle)
 Originally a fortress, the Alcazar has also been a royal palace, the site of Philip II’s wedding, and a military academy. The construction of this majestic castle began in the late 1200’s by King Alfonso VI. Many royals resided here, who all altered the building to their liking, adding towers, slate roofs, and a mote. In 1862, the castle was devastated by a fire but was rebuilt 20 years later using old sketches of the interior. What is seen today is essentially a 19th century remake.
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