Just two hours outside of Salamanca sits the fairytale city of Segovia, Spain. Built on a hill, Segovia is a real life Disney World—the castle is even said to be part of Walt Disney's inspiration for Cinderella's castle. The vast cathedral is one of the last in Europe built in the gothic style, and the famous Roman aqueduct spans 794 meters. Fun fact: there was no cement used to build the aqueduct. Instead, stones were stacked one on top of the other. It took over 500 years to build, and I cannot help but imagine how many times stones were dropped, columns fell, and frustration occurred.
Segovia boasts views of the beautiful Sistema Central mountain range and is part of the route on the Camino de Santiago (which has now made its way onto my bucket list). Segovia is definitely not a city to skip when visiting Spain, especially if, like me, you've always wanted to feel like a princess.
The coolest part of Segovia to me was being able to see remnants of the Muslim and Jewish quarters that existed before both religious groups were expelled from Spain under Isabella and Ferdinand in the 15th century. Another fun fact: Segovia used to have 5 synagogues, even though it's one of the smallest cities in Spain. As a Jewish woman myself, I have been so excited to see pieces of my history throughout Spain, even though so much of it was tragically destroyed. I even found a Sephardi Jewish restaurant!
On January 30th, 2022 IES Abroad Salamanca students woke up bright and early to take the bus and explore the incredible city. It was a perfect day to visit—15 degrees (Celsius) and sunny. I could not help but take pictures of anything and everything. See below for my Segovia photo gallery!
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End-of-semester reflection
I posed some questions before studying abroad, and in this post I do my best to reflect on my time in Spain and answer.
Nicole Stein
<p>Hi! My name is Nicole Stein. I am a Spanish major at Kenyon College from Montclair, New Jersey spending the Spring of 2022 in Salamanca, Spain! My favorite things to do are travel, try new food, swim in small bodies of water, pet baby animals of all kinds, spend time outside hiking, skiing and exploring, and making connections with people from all walks of life.</p>
