What do you do on a random Monday in Segovia?
Take the bus out to La Granja and see the fountains run!
The fountains are located 20 minutes away in the town of San Ildefonso de La Granja which is the location of the old summer residence of the King and Queen of Spain. They decided to copy an 18th century French formal garden style, complete with these fountains. All of the fountains represent themes from classical mythology, including Greek deities, allegories and scenes from myths. They’re cast in lead to prevent corrosion, and painted over to simulate bronze. The original waterworks and piping are still functional. They rely solely on gravity to project water up the fountain jets, including to the 130 feet height of the "Fame" fountain. A reservoir, El Mar (the Sea), lies at the highest point of the landscape park, and provides the supply and water pressure for the whole system. Since they are fed by collected rain and snow runoff, they only run a handful of times in the summer which is why today was pretty special. Together with several hundred Spaniards we spent the next hour and a half meandering through the gardens, watching the fountains run, getting sprayed at times and harassing the occasional nun. Well, at least I did. It was a pretty awesome day so we hope you enjoy the photos.
¡Hasta luego!
Take the bus out to La Granja and see the fountains run!
The fountains are located 20 minutes away in the town of San Ildefonso de La Granja which is the location of the old summer residence of the King and Queen of Spain. They decided to copy an 18th century French formal garden style, complete with these fountains. All of the fountains represent themes from classical mythology, including Greek deities, allegories and scenes from myths. They’re cast in lead to prevent corrosion, and painted over to simulate bronze. The original waterworks and piping are still functional. They rely solely on gravity to project water up the fountain jets, including to the 130 feet height of the "Fame" fountain. A reservoir, El Mar (the Sea), lies at the highest point of the landscape park, and provides the supply and water pressure for the whole system. Since they are fed by collected rain and snow runoff, they only run a handful of times in the summer which is why today was pretty special. Together with several hundred Spaniards we spent the next hour and a half meandering through the gardens, watching the fountains run, getting sprayed at times and harassing the occasional nun. Well, at least I did. It was a pretty awesome day so we hope you enjoy the photos.
¡Hasta luego!