Segovia, Spain

On our second visa renewal trip to Madrid, we took a sightseeing trip by train to Segovia on November 4th. It was a fast train and only took about 30 minutes to travel the 54 miles from Madrid. Clark & Renee Mason were also in Madrid to renew their visas, and they went with us.

"Bullet" train to Segovia.
Renee & Clark and Narene

There are three major attractions to see on a visit to Segovia - the 2000 year-old aqueduct built by the Romans, the 15th-century Cathedral, and the Alcazar (Castle).

A view of the aqueduct,
the most famous symbol of Segovia.
It has 166 total arches (43 are double tiered),
ranging in height from 23 feet to 96 ft.


Aqueduct is 895 yards long and conveys water
from the Fuenfria River 11 miles away
to the upper town and the Alcazar.


Where the aqueduct enters Segovia, it is an
underground channel capable of transporting
up to 30 liters a second.


The double-tiered arches (photo from web).
The free-standing last kilometer contains
20,000 granite blocks held together
without any mortar or binding material.


Segovia Cathedral with over 20 chapels,
begun in 1525 and completed in 1768.
It is located in the main square of the city,
the Plaza Mayor.


Narene walking in the Cathedral cloister.

Notice the size of the columns.
The cloister encircles the Cathedral, and
chapels and altars line the walls.


The main altar in the Cathedral
is made of marble, jasper, and bronze
and constructed in 1768.

A side altar in Segovia Cathedral.


Life-size figures in this alcove in Segovia Cathedral.


Stained glass windows, massive columns,
and vaulted ceilings.


Another chapel in the Cathedral.


This cloister predates the Cathedral,
having been transported stone by stone
from the original cathedral.


The Cathedral's inner courtyard.


The Cathedral was built at the highest point
of the town and has three entrances.

Entrance gate to the Alcazar area.
The next series of photos are taken in this area.


There always is a monument.

Narene & Renee with the
Alcazar (castle) in the background.

The Alcazar was the inspiration for the
castle at Disneyland.

We did an audio tour of the Alcazar.

Originally built as a fortress, the Alcazar has served as a palace, a state prison, a Royal Artillery College, and a military academy since then. Part of the moat can be seen in the photo above.

The Outer Hall


The Throne Room


The Galley Room, which gets its name from the shape
of the ceiling being like an inverted hull of a ship.


Stained glass window in the Alcazar.


Another stained glass window.


The Pine-Cone Room gets its name from the
shapes in the ceiling resembling pine cones.


Mural of Queen Isabella the Catholic
being proclaimed Queen of Castille.


A cabinet and walls draped with fabric.


The Royal Bedroom
The walnut bed is covered with a canopy woven
with gold. The walls are decorated with tapestries
painted with scenes of court life.


The Room of the Monarchs
The frieze bordering the room has figures of all
the monarchs of Asturias, Castile, and Leon.


The Room of the Monarchs
(A closer look at the frieze of kings and queens.)

A view through a window in the
Room of Monarchs.


The Cord Room

It gets its name from the Franciscan cord that surrounds it, which according to legend was placed there by Alfonso X "the Wise" as a sign of penance for his excessive pride. The walls are decorated with tapestries.

The Chapel

The ceremony of veiling during Philip II and Anna of Austria's nuptial Mass was celebrated here. A fire in 1862 destroyed the roofs of the Alcazar and badly damaged the framework. The building was slowly restored in 1882, but there are still traces of black from the fire to be seen in the doorway in the chapel.

The Armory


A 16th century hunting crossbow with inlaid work.


An impressive cannon ball.
(Narene)


A press for minting coins
dating from the 18th century.


Sam in the Old Castle Room.

The suit of armor is from the 15th century.

The Museum of the Royal Artillery School
(The school dates from 1762 to 1862.)

The cellar dates back to Roman times, as the
Alcazar is built over an old Roman fortress.
This is the oldest remaining part of the Alcazar.


This is the top of the Alcazar in the square part
of the castle. We got to the top by climbing
182 narrow winding stairs in the
Tower of Juan II.
We're looking at the Jewish cemetery.


Looking out over the top of the Alcazar.

Narene & Sam at the top of the Tower of Juan II.

A panoramic view from the top of the tower.


Zooming in on the Bell Tower in this view.


View of the countryside from the tower.

Another view from the tower.


Looking down into the moat at the Alcazar.


Walking down the hill from the Alcazar.


Renee, Narene, & Clark by the old city wall.


Another part of the old city wall.


An arch in the old Jewish section.


Another archway.


The outer city wall.


A view of Segovia with snow on the
mountains in the distance.


One of the main narrow streets in Segovia.


A street in the Jewish section.


The old building at the left shows its age.


Narene by Juan Bravo monument.


Church of San Martin with the
Juan Bravo monument to the right.


Narene & Sam by the Church of San Martin.


We also went inside this church.


Inside the church in the photo above.


Church of San Andres


Narene by an old wooden door.


This is a cafe we passed by and eventually
ate at a cafeteria closer to the aqueduct.

The featured dish of Segovia is suckling pig, but none of us had that. We needed to get back on the train soon, so we ordered something that wouldn't take too long. I had a Spanish omelette sandwich which had potatoes and cheese and was good. Sam had an egg, ham, and cheese sandwich.

The buildings often had texture.


Another interesting texture on the building.


I liked the color of this building.


President & Sister Collins

Before the train left Madrid, we discovered President & Sister Collins were also going to Segovia on the same train. They, too, were in Madrid to renew their visas. They thought they might have to leave early to return to Madrid to take their passports to the Embassy, so they went on their own in Segovia; but we visited with them both going and returning on the train.

We were surprised to see how fast the train
was really going when we noticed this sign
on our return trip from Segovia to Madrid.

Renewing our Visa in Madrid

This was our second trip to Madrid to renew our visas, since Russia requires us to leave the country every 90 days to get a new visa. It takes at least two weeks in most Russian Embassies for an American to get a visa renewed, but Madrid still offers us a quick turn around. Missionaries in St. Petersburg are able to go to Estonia for a two-day renewal visa, but anywhere else it is taking longer. Some missionaries have gone to Stockholm, Sweden, and have had to wait as long as three weeks. Others have gone to South Korea and have experienced a similar long wait. This has been such a hardship for the Church not only in expense but in loss of time of service. We have had one of our humanitarian couples in Sweden for six weeks helping with the missionaries waiting for visas. Two other humanitarian couples have helped with the visa renewal stays for missionaries in South Korea and have been gone as long as 18 days at a time. Of course, while they are away from their assigned mission, no humanitarian projects are getting done in their area.

Walking to church in Prague, Czech Republic,
where we stayed overnight on our way to Spain.

We left Moscow Saturday, November 1st, and flew to Prague where we hand delivered a few passports that will be picked up with their new visas after the traditional two-week interval. These passports will be taken to a country where the missionaries can pick them up and return to their assigned mission with the hope of avoiding these delays.

Returning to our hotel in Prague after church
we saw this cute statue (a nice change from
the traditional man on a horse).


Fall foliage in Prague

We had been in Prague in May to renew our visas; but their policy has changed and now they require the two-week wait, so we flew to Madrid Monday morning.

LDS Temple in Madrid

A bonus we get by going to Madrid to renew our visas is being able to go to the temple there. The MTC is by the temple, and President and Sister Hill make us feel so welcome as we join the young missionaries for a meal or a visit.

Looking down from the 6th floor of the MTC
onto the temple grounds where some men
were planting petunias.

Monday the temple is closed, so we thought we might take the express train to Segovia for a day of sightseeing with Clark & Renee Mason, who also were in Madrid renewing their visas. However, we missed the morning train by a couple of minutes; so we took that trip on Tuesday instead, and on Monday went to the Cathedral Almudena opposite the main entrance of the Royal Palace (which we visited on our previous stay in Madrid).

Cathedral Almudena in Madrid near the Royal Palace

View from the top of the Cathedral Almudena

Tuesday we visited Segovia, north-northwest of Madrid. (The next blog entry will include photos of Segovia, which was a very interesting old city.) After returning to Madrid, we visited the famous Prada art museum (which we had also visited in August).

The old city wall in Segovia
(Renee, Narene, and Clark)

Wednesday we went to two sessions at the temple, ate lunch at the MTC, and then walked through the huge Retiro Park with its numerous monuments, fountains, and two palaces. When the Masons returned to their hotel, Sam and I walked back to the Hotel Convencion doing more sightseeing on the way.

We took the red-eye flight back to Moscow, leaving about 11:30 p.m. and arriving in Moscow about 7:30 a.m. As tired as we were, we went to the office to catch up on things coming in while we were away and stayed until 5:00 p.m. It was a good trip, but we were glad to get back to our apartment in Moscow and appreciated a good night's sleep.

District Conference

Our district meeting Saturday was in Russian, but we had a missionary sit behind us to translate into English. Sunday our meeting was televised from the Conference Center in Salt Lake City with Elder Quentin L. Cook conducting; and the speakers were President Paul B. Pieper, Member of the Seventy and Area President of the Europe East Area; Sister Vicki Matsumori, 2nd Counselor in the General Relief Society; Elder Cook, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; and President Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

President Thomas S. Monson

President Pieper, having lived a number of years in Russia, gave his talk in Russian; but he had dubbed over the talk in English for those listening to the English translation. He said the Church was in Stage 2 in the area. The first stage was getting the Church officially recognized and members allowed to worship together. Now there is one stake in the area, one temple being built, and branches are small. Full-time missionaries will continue to be called, but more members will need to be active in being member missionaries if the Church is to grow here. He presented four parts being important for this second stage. First, the Lord requires a willing heart and mind. When we tell the Lord we are ready, He will help us find someone to teach. Second, we should go about doing good. Share kindness. Lend help in times of need. Third, invite others to come and see - Family Home Evening, branch activities, youth conferences, Sunday meetings. Once they see, they can use free agency to see more. Fourth, pray to find the elect.

Sister Matsumori spoke about the eternal nature of families.

We should place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the center of our lives, said Elder Cook, and not stand on borrowed light; and he compared the Celestial Kingdom to the sun, which has its own light, while the Telestial Kingdom is like the moon with only reflective light. He quoted President Harold B. Lee, "Create Zion in our hearts and homes." President Lee admonished to not get near the cliff of sin and said it is better to build fences around the cliff than to have an ambulance at the bottom.

President Monson's talk was centered around Doctrine & Covenants 88:119: "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God; . . ." Where could you find a better blueprint for the temple in which we reside than following this counsel, he asked. It is a blueprint for life.