It's raining this afternoon in Alicante, so I decided to put together some pictures from our trip to El Castillo de Santa B
árbara. The Castillo is located on Monte Benacantil and it completely dominates the skyline of the city. It was originally built in the 9th century and in 1248 was captured by the Castilians (Spaniards) from the Arabs. It was further developed by the Spaniards and played a large role in the War of Spanish Succession. It was used as a prison during the Spanish Civil War. As you can imagine, due to its location, it had a large strategic importance. Ok, enough from the history nerd in me.
We set out and my first two thoughts were, one it is 90 degrees out, and two that is a tall hill to climb. But that was the plan, it was about a twenty minute walk through Santa Cruz, the old neighborhood and one of the prettiest.
The Castillo looms above the houses of Santa Cruz.
When we got to the base of the mountain, I again remarked that this was going to be a long, hot climb. But the views on the way up were definitely worth it. We had great views of the city and of the Castillo.
Photo Break!
We also learned the story of "El Caro del Moro" or the Face of the Moor (or Arab). There is the profile of a face in the side of the Castillo that is visible from the beach of Alicante. The legend of the people of Alicante says, that a great king once lived in the Castillo and he had a beautiful daughter. Two men wanted to marry her, so her father gave them each six months to present him with the most beautiful thing in the world. One man went to India and bought the most beautiful silks and art known to man. The other, Ali, stayed with the Princess. At the end of six months, Ali had nothing to show for his time and the King ordered him killed. Upon hearing of Ali's death, the princess flung herself off the Castillo to her death, creating the face of Ali in the side of the Mountain.
"El Caro del Moro"
The Castillo itself is more intact then I originally believed. Though it is not the castle it once was, there has been a lot of restoration and it is a great vantage point to see all of Alicante.
Entrance.
Alicante and San Juan.
El Castillo.
The oldest tower in the Castillo.
Spain.
El Castillo.
The Beach and the Marina from the Castillo.
El Castillo and Alicante.
We even saw a beautiful sunset over the city on our walk down.
Sunset over Alicante.
Sunset through the Castillo.
It was such an amazing experience to see the Castillo. The views were beautiful of Alicante and the surrounding area. The building is also still very intact and has an amazing history. Just the first of many great adventures in Alicante!
Hasta Luego,
Kelsey
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