XIV.
We took a day
trip to see the aqueduct, one of the world’s most impressive and best-preserved
feats of Roman hydraulic engineering.
Parking. There is a
convenient underground garage near the pedestrian zone on the side of the
aqueduct closest to the old city, with wide disabled parking spaces, a
surprisingly large and clean accessible bathroom (up a moderately steep slope)
and a moderately steep series of pedestrian walkways to enter and exit the
garage. The garage is approximately two
blocks from the aqueduct. Cars are
prohibited in the center near the aqueduct.
Aqueduct.
For information about the aqueduct’s history and architecture, see http://www.cyberspain.com/ciudades-patrimonio/fotos/segacui.htm.
Nearly 2,000 years old and built of stone
without mortar or concrete, this extraordinary Roman aqueduct was one of our
highlights! The dramatic section in the
center of town has two rows of arches, one on top of the other. The area surrounding the main part of the
aqueduct is paved in rough cobblestones, but it was easily navigable in
Howard’s electric wheelchair. At one
part of the aqueduct there is a series of stairways leading to up toward the
top of the aqueduct. But one can proceed
along the bottom quite far in the other direction. There are no stairs but after some distance
there is a fairly steep hill; it’s navigable in an electric wheelchair without
assistance, but most people in manual wheelchairs would need to be pushed.
Town. A charming main
street zigzags up from the plaza at the bottom of the aqueduct to the town’s
main plaza at the hilltop; it is smooth and moderately steep. It was easily navigable in Howard’s electric
wheelchair without assistance, but most people in manual wheelchairs would need
to be pushed. Many of the side streets
have stairs. The main plaza is open and
inviting, and there are several interesting buildings, stores and pastry shops
along the main street, so the climb is worthwhile.
Cathedral.
The main cathedral at the plaza on the hilltop has only one small stair
at the entrance. A couple of the side
rooms have one medium height stair.
There are no stairs to enter the cloister.