Segovia and Toro y Zamora

Segovia and Toro and Zamora are all cities in the autonomous region of Castilla y León (Salamanca is also in Castilla y León). Salamanca, Segovia, and Zamora are all capitals of provinces which are named after them.

Salamanca, Segovia, and Zamora all have red stars on them in the map above. Toro is a small town between Salamanca and Zamora (it's much closer to Zamora), which is famous for its wine: tinto toro.

Segovia:
We went to Segovia last Monday and had a guided tour of the city. Segovia, like many Spanish cities, was inhabitted by Iberian tribes, Romans, Moors, and, of course, the Spanish. All of the conquerors took the aspects of the previous cultures' architecture and incorporated it into their city, which resulted in the colorful, confused Segovia of today.
The oldest structure in Segovia is the Roman canals, which is a series of aqueducts, canals and tunnels that brought water to the city from the mountains 15 km away and also supplied water to the moat around the castle, Alcazar.
The aqueduct in Segovia is the best-preserved Roman structure in the Iberian Peninsula and the longest stretch of Roman aqueduct in the world, (728m). The structure is built of diorite blocks (Segovian diorite) and is not held together with any mortar. It was used until the early 20th century, but to preserve its structural integrity, it is no longer used, traffic has been routed around it, and some portions have been reconstructed.
The tallest arch is 28.5 m tall, and it is topped with a statute of Santa Barbara. According to legend, a young boy who was unhappy with bringing water from the mountains made a pact with the devil: if the devil could deliver the water from the mountains to his doorstep by morning, the boy would give him his soul. That night, there was a huge storm, and the boy realized that it was the devil's doing. He spent the night praying, and, when the sun rose, the aqueduct was completed, except for the stone above the niche where Santa Barbara stands.
From the 9th century to the 1100's, the Moors added their style to Segovia. Many buildings in Segovia were probably constructed during this time, and the famous castle, the Alcázar, was built. Moorish motifs have been used to decorate Segovain buildings until the present.
Here, a Roman relief of Hercules, the Roman god of Segovia, is surrounded by Moorish plaster-work, which has been reconstructed, and modern bill-boards.
The most prosperous time in Segovia occurred in the 13-16th centuries. The wool industry was responsible for increasing the city's fortunes, which resulted in a building and re-modeling boom, with Italian fashions being the most popular.
Casa de los Picos is one of the most famous houses from the era, with its façade entirely composed of stone (Segovian diorite again) points.
The Segovian cathedral was also constructed at during this time.
As well as Segovia's most famous building: the Alcázar.

Evidence suggests that the Alcázar was originally a Roman fort that was converted to a castle during Moorish rule. In the 1100's, Alfonso VI, the king of Castile, conquered the fortress and began using it as the permanent residence of the Spanish monarchy, and it remained the home of the Spanish court until the 1540's when Felipe II moved the court to Madrid.
Alcázar is most famously the home of Isabel and Fernando, the catholic monarchs, and as the inspiration for Walt Disney's Cinderella castle.
It was here, where Isabel gave Columbus the financing for his journey to the new world (Isabel's throne is on the left).
And here is the church where Isabel was coronated in 1474 at age 23.

Zamora:
Zamora is a small. old Spanish city with celtic roots. It is most famous for its Romanesque cathedrals (it has 25, more than any other city in Europe), Semana Santa celebrations, and was the home of El Cid.
I don't have any pictures of Zamora because I forgot to change my camera battery before going, but I do have a picture I took from google images of the cathedral. When we were there today, there was a wedding, so there were a lot more people than in the picture.
The stone in Zamora is a conglomerate that looks a lot like concrete, but concrete usually does not have internal layering or sorting, and it usually does not outcrop in cliffs.

Toro:
Toro is a tiny little town in the countryside that is famous for its wine. We took a tour of a winery, Estancia de Piedra (literally, the place of rocks), and went wine tasting (we had the tinta de Toro and the Verdejo, which means green, and, aptly, had a green lable). We had lunch in a wine cellar at a place famous for its roast meat, although they also had very good sheep cheese, for non-meat-eaters, and ice cream.
Here are some pictures of the Spanish countryside:

The mountains between Segovia and Madrid.

Olive trees. The Spanish really do love their olive oil.

A sunflower field. All over Castilla y León, there are sunflower fields, and sunflower seeds and oil are one of the biggest agricultural exports from this region.

And last, but not least, an interesting crystal growth (I think it is quartz), in a vein. The stone is from the street in Segovia. Cigarette butt for scale.