We left the Monastery and and drove to the hills above the castle and the whole city and stopped to take some shots. By this point Ryan started taking shots of me taking pictures and I didn't mind because my wife Kara wants more shots of me anyways....usually I don't have many because I'm always behind the camera. It is amazing sometimes to be a photographer when you get to see the things I get to see...like the shot of the castle, cathedral and city below that looks straight out of a fairy tale novel.
We headed down the hill, went down some one-way roads the wrong way (not on purpose) and found our way to the castle and went inside. I was unbelievably thirsty and there was nowhere or no one selling drinks. Outside the castle there were gypsys selling cloths they had sewn together. I asked them in Spanish if they would give me a drink of water if I bought a cloth. They laughed and asked who the cloth was for and I pointed to Ryan. Ryan called me an idiot and walked away which made all of us laugh even more. Ryan truly is the funnest guy in the world to travel with....
Well, they wouldn't give me the water with the deal so I bought nothing. We went inside the castle and asked the security guard where we could buy water or if they had a drinking fountain. He told me to use the bathroom. I was soooooo thirsty that I did. I went inside and using my hands to scoop the water from the sink I began to drink from the sink. This was done out of desperation...but it was very hot and I was literally needing water bad. Ryan rolled his eyes when I asked him if the water was going to make me sick. Ryan and I were born only 18 months apart and we have always been close....so if you watched us it would be like watching the "odd couple."
We toured the castle which was beautiful. I don't really know the history of the castle in Segovia but Ryan said that Walt Disney modeled the castle at Disney World after it...I thought that was cool. I imagined all the cool stuff that had happened here and wondered what scandalous things had happened...because we all know castles and royalty are synonymous with scandals. We went out to the front of the castle and looked down at the massive drop from the castle wall. Ryan mused as to how many people they had dropped off the sides of the castle when they found traitors or people they didn't like....who knows?
My leg was hurting pretty bad but we had paid for the privilege of climbing 200 steps to the top of the tower of the castle. Ryan was very kind and offered to carry something for me so I could make the climb. He was surprised when I said I would do it with him....but who knows when I'll be back at the castle....so I decided to do it.
The stairwell is a continual winding staircase that seems to go up forever and and is literally only 3 feet wide. So all people going up and going down are using the same staircase...needless to say it is a circus act to try and pass each other. The funny thing is that everyone is struggling to make it up the stairs...sometimes you pass people and sometimes they pass you, and everyone is sweating buckets. A few ladies coming down the stairs looked at Ryan and I and told us in Spanish, "There is lemonade and water up at the top...very refreshing." This livened my spirits and as soon as I reached the top I realized how stupid I was for believing it. Ryan just laughed at me.
As horrible as it was the climb was worth it. The view from the top was phenomenal. We took some shots and regained our consciousness and then headed down the stairs. I couldn't help but perpetuate the lie I was told by telling those coming up the stairs that there was refreshing lemonade and water awaiting them at the top. Ryan who was much more honest than I was during the time down the stairs and would quickly tell everyone I told this to that I was lying. Everyone seemed to get a kick out of it. I managed to grab a quick 10 second video clip to show what it was like.
Well, this post has been long enough so I'll have to continue the rest another day....I hope you enjoy!
