Castles in the air

Yesterday my group visited the castle of Santa Bárbara, a 1000-year-old castle overlooking the coast. It was a castle inhabited by both Arab and Christian rulers, but the castle got its name from King Alfonso X, whose forces overtook the castle on December 4th, day of Santa Bárbara. Different levels of the castle were built at different times--the oldest dating back to the 9th century. It was used also as a fort and then as a prison, but was largely abandoned by the 19th century until 1963, when it was opened to the public. I took all that information from Wikipedia. Now for some pictures.

My new friend Olivia overlooking the Mediterranean

I don't know how old these cannons are but they sure were sweet.

the squares are for shooting out. The little round balls are bombs. 

(L to R) the flags of Alicante, Spain, Valencia, and the EU

 The castle from the bottom of the hill

It was really humbling to be there--those stones were the ones kings and princes and soldiers walked on, and people lived their lives in those halls hundreds of years ago. It made me feel small in comparison, but significant in that, in a small way, I'm part of Alicante's identity, too, and it's part of mine. 

I'm going to bed now. I have a test on grammar in the morning (which sounds about as fun as glass salad for dinner) which I should cram study for. 

Hasta luego,

Maren