La Mujer Muerta

   La Mujer Muerta is a notable mountain range that can be seen from many different places in Segovia. My favorite place to admire the formation is in El Paseo del Salón where my school is located. There are several legends about La Mujer Muerta, but my favorite one goes like this: 

   A long time ago, there were two families living in a village. One of the two families was the richest family in town. They had a beautiful, kind daughter. The other family was the second richest in town and they had two strong sons. When the children were young, the parents decided, when they came of age, the daughter would marry the eldest son to unite their legacies. As the kids grew up, the daughter fell in love with the younger brother. The two of them begged their parents and the older brother to change the marriage arrangement, but the parents and the older brother refused. They were heartbroken, but continued to see each other in secret. One day, the oldest brother noticed something different about his wife-to-be and found out that she was pregnant with his younger brother's child. The two brothers drew their swords and began to fight. The daughter tried to stop the fight and ended up getting hit by one of the swords and dying. The gods made grew the mountains around her body as a reminder for the village people of this horrible event. (The translation from Spanish to English kind of takes away from the story, but that's okay.)

La Mujer Muerta is in the background of this picture. It's hard to see but you can almost make out her head on the left, then breasts, then pregnant belly, and feet to the right. 

   Fun fact about El Paseo del Salón - it's original name was El Paseo del Shalom because it is near the Jewish quarter in town and that is where the Jewish people would go to rest on the Sabbath, so it was common to hear Shalom in passing. The Spanish people do not have the "sh" sound in their language so it is extremely difficult for them to say. Due to this difficulty, the name of the park gradulally changed into El Paseo de Salón. 

El Paseo del Salón

Hiking [andando por las montañas]

   Last weekend was my last full weekend in Segovia. I can't believe how fast the time is flying by. I feel like there is still so much for me to experience here, so I am trying to get as much out of the next couple of weeks as possible. Last Sunday, a few friends and I went hiking on a trail and a small mountain near Alcázar (the castle). I thought the view was incredible, but was later told there's a better trail for pictures. I'll have to find it this Saturday! On our hike we also encountered the Eresma River. Here are some of my favorite shots of my friends & me. 

This is my favorite picture from the day. It wasn't the best view, but I love how happy all of us look. I am so thankful to have found this group of friends on this trip. With them, I am always laughing and I always have someone to adventure with!

We crossed the river using the stone path and no one fell in. Not even Lou! ;) 

Alcázar de Segovia inspired Walt Disney in the creation and design of Cinderella's castle. 

This picture does not do the view any sort of justice. Alcázar is in the foreground and La Catedral is in the background. Segovia is completely surrounded by mountains, fields, farms, and forests. It is absolutely beautiful. I will definitely be missing these views when it's time to return to the states.