European Fairy Tale

At last, the final installment of my Madrid trip. An hour’s worth of misty mountains away from Madrid is a sleepy little town called Segovia, where we spent our Sunday afternoon. Like every Spanish city I’ve been to, Segovia has its churches and a cathedral, but what we really came for were two unique sites.

First, Segovia has a HUGE Roman aqueduct. Lots of places in Spain have Roman ruins, but this is one of the largest and best-preserved. And it’s tucked right into the town among the cafés and shops! After climbing to the top (or as close as we could get), we set off for the opposite side of town (not very far at all) in our quest for the Alcázar de Segovia, also known as the castle that inspired Sleeping Beauty’s castle at Disneyland.

Needless to say, this Disney nerd was pretty stoked about this.

It felt like being inside a medieval fairy tale, exploring the dining and bed chambers, checking out old flags and armor, gazing out the window at the countryside hills in the distance and pretending I was part of the royal family that once lived there…. And the cloudy day only added to the story-book feel.

Segovia was a short trip and well worth it (plus driving through the Spanish countryside is absolutely beautiful—I get no homework/journaling done because I’m too preoccupied staring out the window). Courtney, Alayna, and I had so much fun being kids again and recapturing that imaginative, full-of-life spirit of a young child.

-Steph