We drove to the royal monastery of El Escorial which is about 45 minutes from our hotel. It is at the foothills of a mountain range and in a very tranquil location. It was built by Philip II shortly after he moved the capital to Madrid. It was kind of a summer palace for him and he is buried there. For many years after Philip II, El Escorial was the burial spot for Spanish kings and nobility and there is a crypt with at least a dozen kings buried there.
From there we drove to Segovia which was another 30 minutes or so away. It features the castle where Isabel met Ferdinand and an old Roman aqueduct (see picture) that I believe is one of the largest spans still standing. We mostly just walked around town, did some shopping and I tried a sample of their roast suckling pig. I have had it before and Segovia, along with Madrid, is famous for it.
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