When checking into our Torrelaguna Hotel, I told the staff that we were planning a route to Segovia and looking for a rail or bus connection to avoid a 9,000-climb over a mountain range. (Probably not that great, but someone came up with that figure and this is not a group of climbers, especially on loaded touring bikes.) After exploring Torrelaguna on foot and returning to my room, she called me over with recommendations. She had been researching information on potential rail stations, departure times, and cost to ride from Villalba to Segovia by train. (Only 5.45 euros). She presented turn-by-turn directions, a list of the 7 towns we would pass through, and two pages of Segovia lodgings.
Given 11:59 or 19:29 departures from Villalba, we wanted to arrive for the 11:59. We had an early breakfast and left Torrelaguna about 8 am, daylight but not yet sunrise. The initial 10 miles included several significant climbs, the early temperature was 47F, but the route flattened and we found the Villalba rail station by 11:25. We purchased tickets and I foraged for food in the nearby shops.
Rail travel with loaded bikes offers some risk. The station stops are unpredictable and often short, sometimes a minute or less, so we need to determine if the conductor wants bikes on a bike-specific car and then quickly load the bikes, and panniers, or trailer, while stopped. Our usual approach is to jump on with one item, jump off, grab the other item, and jump back on. That's all while dodging passengers who are getting off and on.
In larger stations, the siding is unknown and announced shortly before the train arrives. In Spain, the safety warning are in English and Spanish, but the siding and arrival announcements are only in Spanish. All passengers clustered at Platform 1, the usual one, but a last minute announcement as the train approached was for Platform 3. Everyone had to return to the terminal, take an escalator, stairs, or elevator to the overhead bridge, then back down to Platform 3. For me, that's a bike under one arm and the trailer in the other, sometimes rolling and sometimes being carried/dragged. Those with heavy touring bikes and mounted panniers often have difficulties balancing the bike on an escalator, and elevators, if available, are often quite small and slow.
We also try to board at different doors, allowing more room to board and park bikes. However to reduce the weight, John took his bike and panniers separately, and in the time required to make two escalator trips, missed the train. We thought he had boarded at a separate door, but we spotted John standing outside the door as our train departed.
John, being resourceful and experienced, simply hired a taxi, beat us to Segovia, booked two rooms, and met us at the cathedral.
Segovia is well worth a visit, as you will see from the photos. Tomorrow, we will head for Avila, planning on taking a looping route for 2 days. Segovia is a historic city with the last Gothic cathedral built in Europe, the Alcazar (Moorish palace), and the longest remaining Roman aqueduct in Europe.
—Early Morning Riding West.
Overheard while walking down a Segovia street: If it weren't so grotty it would have been great. No idea what the were discussing.
—Dog of the Day. This wiggling, eager puppy with a faux-jewel collar, approached us at roadside. No owner was evident.
—Roundabout at the Entrance of Mazanares Featured Cats.
—Manzanares
—Approaching
—Manzanares Castle
—Dog of the Day #2. She pointed us to the Villalba Train Station.
—Segovia Aqueduct
—Segovia Church. Many were scattered throughout with no real pattern evident, except that if someone donated the funds, another church would be built.
—Church Entrance. (Note the facial details below).
—Street configured for all types of vehicles, animals, and people.
—One of many chapels in Segovia
—Typical Timber-Frame Building
—Segovia Cathedral. Last Gothic Cathedral Built in Europe.
—Cathedral Tower Detail
—Dueling Pipe Organists. Just lucky, while visiting two organists on opposite sides of the orchestra were practicing. Amazing sound.
—Choir Stalls.
—Bishop's Meeting Room
—Alcazar. Moorish Palace. A bit new for Segovia, perhaps 400-500 years old.
—Nuns Entering the Jewish Quarter.
The fact there no news was coming out of Segovia about the Jews, prevents us from knowing, even approximately, the number of Jews who left the city and of those who decided to convert to Christianity. The only reliable data is provided by a census of converts in 1510 eighteen years after the expulsion which affirmed that there were 788 converts in Segovia spread around 209 families. In any case, bearing in mind this data, we should bear in mind that the figure does not solely refer to those christened in 1492, but also to all the converts residing in the city.
The converts, having converted to become New Christians, kept living in the same streets as their forefathers. The old Jewish quarter thus became the Barrio Nuevo (New District) whose urban layout whose essential lines have remained unchanged until today.
—Bike Rote to Villalba, then train (or taxi) to Segovia
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