Ruta de Los Castillos

Trip Start Sep 11, 2007

Trip End Dec 15, 2007

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Flag of Spain Segovia, Spain
Sunday, September 16, 2007

Today we went on our first group excursion. We went on what is called El Ruta De Los Castillos. During the day we toured the castles of Coca and Cuellar. We also visited the Bodegas Nieva which is a winery famous for its white wine. Our first stop was the bodega where we tasted to types of white wine and learned a little about wine culture and production. I enjoyed the two types that I tried so I bought a bottle of each since they only cost 4.40 euros each. After the bodega we went to Coca which was my favorite of the two castles. It was beautiful and I took a ton of photos. I hope at least a few of them turned out well. The stairs in the castle were very narrow and extremely difficult to use because they were built as a form of defense against enemies. We also saw a bunch of the wholes in the wall which were for pouring hot oil or excrement on the heads of attackers. One of the best parts of the tour was this room that was specifically designed for the telling of secrets. It was a beautiful decorated, domed shaped room with tiny holes in the wall at various points. When one speaks into the hole on one side, the person at a hole on the opposite side can hear them perfectly. Also when I person stands on a circle in the very middle of the room, they hear this amazing echo that their ears alone can discern. The creapiest part of the tour was when we entered this small circular room with a high ceiling, with a grate at the top. Once we were all crammed in the room, our guide turned off the light. I lot of people sort of freaked out at this point,but not so much as they did later when we learned what the room was for. For you see, it was used as a death chamber. The door that we'd entered through didn't originally exist. The only way into the hole was through the grate at the top and it was through that small whole that prisoners were dropped. If they didn't fit through the whole, then their captors just chopped them up until they did. Prisoner after prisoner was dropped through the hole over the years and left to die among the remains and excrement of those who'd died before them. Sometimes it makes me sick to be a part of a race which could think up such horrible things to do to each other.
Before we visited the second castle, we had a bit of a break for lunch. After finishing my sandwich, my friend Jasey and I went to explore the village for a while. I don't know if I can describe accurately, but there was this hushed stillness about the town. Since it was during the siesta hour, the town was almost deserted and we were left alone with only the company of the gathering storm clouds above our heads.Nothing adds mystery to a setting like the coming of storm. At one point during our wanderings, we found this wall with a broken down gateway. I wanted to explore it, but I wasn't sure if I should. I decided to step inside and just as I was doing so, a clap of thunder rung out. A moment later I hear a noise and a cat comes running out of the underbrush, making me jump. I'm telling you that it felt like a seen out of a movie, the effects were so well timed. Later, as we were being shown the cathedral near the castle, the storm let loose its full fury. The rain pounded the roof of the old stone church and thunder rumbled all around us.
Tonight, after dinner, I went out with friends again. People thrive at night here and streets are always packed on the weekends. The most amazing and surprising thing happened tonight. I was at La Luna with some of my friends and this women comes up to me and asks if I remember her. At first I didn't and then all of a sudden I realized that she was the women from SOU who had come to Segovia last fall. I was so shocked and disconcerted to see someone so unexpected. It truly is a very small world. She is now working and living in Madrid, and was in Segovia this weekend to visit her boyfriend. I talked with them for quite a while and some of my friends hit it of with them also. She gave me her number and I am going to give her a call when I go to Madrid. She knows where all the good discotecas are and she said that she'd love to show us around when we are there. I love travel and living abroad. There are so many people to meet, things to see, and lessons to be learned.