Segovia is just 30 minutes away from Madrid on a high-speed train, making it a perfect daytrip out of the city, and as it sits beyond the Sierra the altitude makes it a few degrees cooler than Madrid, which I can tell you gets seriously hot in summer! This Roman city is tiny, even smaller than Toledo to the south of Madrid, which I visited on a daytrip back in March. Taking bus no.11 from the train station you arrive in the city centre and are immediately looked down upon by the imposing and impressive Roman aqueduct bridge that towers high above you. Quite how it has lasted that long without falling over in parts is quite beyond me! Its thin arches look somewhat fragile, but they’ve been standing there 2000 years so far, so it’s safe to walk underneath.

         Move further into the town’s web of ancient streets and alleyways and you’ll find yourself pass churches and the Cathedral to arrive at the 12th-century castle, the Alcázar. Peering up at the fairytale turrets and and towers, my mind was instantly filled with stories of princesses and knights in shining armour from a bygone era, and I would have loved to go inside. But we had other plans for our day, including tasting cochinillo (roast suckling pig) and visiting La Granja de San Ildefonso, from which I have a separate postcard I’ll publish another day.

         Be sure to walk along the city’s Western wall, affording some wonderful views of the city and the surrounding countryside. The objective of our day was to practise some photography, and here are my favourite picks from Segovia: