I was given a wonderful opportunity to go on a trip to Madrid to visit a family’s friend with my mother alongside my aunt and her two other relatives. When we landed in Madrid, we were greeted by Vincent, her employee. He helped us with our luggage and all we had to do was to go outside, where Aunt Jo was awaiting us. When we stepped outside, two black Benz were parked next to each other encircled by a few of guys in black suits and black sunglasses, something like Men in Black. And there she was, with her beckoning smile as she waved at us.
We were staying over at Aunt Jo’s house and it was truly a gorgeous modern home. She even has a beautiful family; A beautiful adorable daughter, Beverly. It took me a few days for her to love me back and when she came and gave me a hug, it felt as though I’ve successfully climbed to the top of Mount Everest alright. Who knew getting someone to love you back could be a total pain in the butt but also oddly gratifying. A little about Aunt Jo, she is a beautiful soul, a humble lady that knows how to cook literally everything. Frankly, i look forward to traveling because that is the only time i could lose weight but in Madrid, that wasn’t happening alright. We had Nasi Lemak, Cendol, Pengat Pisang, cakes, you name it. We had breakfast, lunch, tea time , dinner and supper. The Malaysian way, of course.
We had a short trip to Segovia after mom and i came back from Barcelona for a mother-daughter trip. She had had her driver driven us all the way up there. I tend to say this a lot but beautiful is truly an understatement.
The journey took about an hour before i was completely blown away by the beautiful Castilian city; oh Segovia how you took my breath away. If you love Disney Princesses or history to be precise you will love this place. What is not to love? I love cities, buildings and places that are rich with history. True enough, Alcazar de Segovia was an inspiration to Walt Disney; that contributed to the birth of the iconic Cinderella’s castle. It felt as though i had stepped into a real life fairytale kingdom.
Here’s a history lesson. The Alcazar de Segovia was a prehistoric Celtic culture and later, being occupied by the Romans. The location of the castle meant that it had good defences and gave an exquisite outlook onto the hills and mountains. Like many other fortifications in Spain, it had started off as an Arab castle. Afterward, it fell on Christian hands, 32 years after the city of Segovia became Christian.
It was an Arab fortress back in the 12th century, and later being transformed into a royal place where King Alfonso VII resided with his wife towards the end of the 12th century. Eventually, it became a prison and a military academy and now, a museum.
Besides the Alcazar de Segovia, another incredible facet the antiquated city has to offer is the Aqueducts: which is also the tallest in Spain and one of the best-preserved in the world. It was being indicated that 2,000 years ago, Segovia must have had more or less the same number of occupants as it does today, approximately 50,000. The Romans came to Segovia in 80BC and towards the end of the first century AD, their Emperor then, one of the Spanish rulers of the great Roman Empire had ordered the construction of the aqueduct. Back then, the Romans were the gods of plumbing; they constructed this grand elaborate structure to bring water to the city from a mountain river 14 kilometres to the east. I find that immensely fascinating. This very aqueduct has withstood earthquakes and hurricanes and continued bringing water to the city until 1950.
I honestly do not mind getting lost in Spain. They have the best kind of alleys. You’ll be amazed with your unplanned findings. I love Spanish architecture, European architecture in general. They never cease to amaze me. I could just stare at them for hours and i would not even move a muscle. Those buildings are very well preserved. To be entirely honest with you, i am not really a fan of architecture modernity. I love listening to stories, i love history. And Europe is indeed the place to be. I honestly cannot wait to go back to Spain and explore every inch of this beautiful majestic country.
Something about antiquated cities or buildings that fascinate me greatly. It keeps me humbled and also, appreciative. The fact that many people from other centuries had stood at this precise spot where I stood and perhaps, witness what I was probably witnessing (of course not in its entirety) gives me such an inexplicable warm feeling… but mostly, astonishment.
By saralisa 
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