on top of that mountain is where we are headed, to the Castell de Santa Barbara .it's quite a climb but we started early to beat the heat and it's a lovely morning in Alicante, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain
there are several ways to get up the mountain. there's a road all the way up, there's the endless stairs through the residential area Santa Cruz shown in my first post, there's even a lift but that would be too easy. we took this elevated ramp that leads us to a level area at the base of the steepest slope.
that is where the wonderful Parc de l'Ereta lies with nice gardens, a cafe, and great views
the highlight is the fountain with the reflection of the mountain with castle/fortress high above
we still had a long way to go to the top but venturing under the water jets in the warm sun was good fun, not minding a little splash here and there
the climate is so dry and warm, playing in the water made us feel like kids again.
and even though we were far from the top we enjoyed the view of the city below and the harbor with a cruise ship and the bay beyond. there was greenery all around but actually it was the sight of the water in the fountain that made the park seem so fresh and well designed
the hard stone and harsh dryness of the surroundings
somehow became softer and gentler with the playful water and light
rested and refreshed we were ready to take on the steepest part of the climb better suited for birdlife
the nearly vertical surface of the sandstone mountain has eroded considerably over the millenium making ideal nesting spots for the seabirds
but many plants are able to thrive here, especially aa huge variety of cacti. a few of these fruits were ripe.
we finally made it inside the main gate. the view behind is toward the newer tourist hotels outside the city
just inside the gate is a massive cactus
the place is huge with plenty of open space, roads in all directions and buildings on different levels
the museum of Alicante is spread out in some of the buildings but most are empty with passageways leading to all around
and small garden plots livening up the landscape
most everywhere is open to the public to wander around with arches and bridges where ever we looked
though this may look more like sporting and fun i am sure reality back in the day was far more brutal than what we are accustomed to
the museum has an impressive display of pottery from all the different cultures that have inhabited the mountainside for thousands of years. fragments from all the different eras fill an entire wall. here is a small detail
and a larger detail of the same wall
the lookout posts in the different corners now have an unmistakeable romantic feel to them with the sailboat in the blue Mediterranean Sea below but these weren't built for photo shoots. even though they were military structures, the builders still included the elegant roof with the ball on top
outside the walls toward the sea is perilously steep but the mountain slope towards inland is far more gradual. there are ruins of ancient housing spread out over a vast area
while inside the castle walls there is reconstruction going on, here on the slope nature is reclaiming what was once a paradise of sorts. we have been on the mountain long enough so we made our way back to civilization.
i took all these photos with my S22 phone. some have been edited. this post is the third in a series from our delightful stay in Alicante. links to the first two posts here:
https://ecency.com/hive-163772/@eolianpariah2/scenes-from-alicante
https://ecency.com/hive-142159/@eolianpariah2/monomad-challenge-scenes-from-castell
