Castillo de Santa Barbara

Castillo de Santa Barbara looms impressively over the town and bay of Alicante.  We make it a "must see" and prioritize it as something to do early in our first week in this delightful town.

One of the problems with exploring castles is that they often tire us out just trekking up to the entrance.  And with the Castillo de Santa Barbara at 166 meters above sea level the idea of zig-zagging our way up on a warm, sunny day causes diminished enthusiasm.  However the Spaniards are an ingenious people - we learn that they have built a lift up to the Castillo.

We stroll along the seaside Explanada de Espana to arrive at the entrance to the lift.  After paying €2.75 each we are instructed to continue through the tunnel.  In 15 minutes time we are swept up to the castle entrance.  And we didn't break a sweat.  Brilliant!

The origins of the Castillo date back to the 9th Century when the peninsula was under Muslim control.  It was reconstructed several times over the subsequent centuries as control of the castle and surrounding area changed.  The views of the Mediterranean and the town are spectacular.  We have fun strolling through the various buildings of the Castillo, many with artifacts and/or educational information.

After relaxing over a coffee we decide to walk down.  We ramble around a bit trying to find the way down, and eventually decide that we'll follow the road on the west side used by cars and busses to access the Castillo.  After walking a bit we notice that it turns to the north side of the mountain.... But we want to be on the south side!  Luckily I notice a walkway that appears to lead to a cafe, but it continues down the mountain and deposits us on the south-west side. There's a distinctive building just a few blocks away.  As we approach we recognize the building - it is Mercado Central.  We know where we are now, and it is just 6-8 blocks to our flat.