A little piece of Turkey but no Christmas

 This is one of those, well, it was a good idea at the time. We are going up private roads, but Google suggests we can, so let's do it.


We are climbing up to the Castillo de Galeras. It has views of the bay which will make it all worthwhile.  It is also one of those forts made with maths in mind and lots of angles and overlapping fire.  Before we get that we pass the ‘Subida’ or entrance. There are 267 reviews.  People rave about the view.  What about the military architecture to come guys?




Frederico gives it four stars and says ‘A spectacular route to do with the family. The downside is the litter along the sides of the path and especially the condition of the parking lot next to the dry riverbed; if you go in a regular car, you'll damage the undercarriage in the potholes.’



At the castle top Petr is still on functional walking over form.  ‘The walk up to the fortress is a bit over 3 kilometers. The path is a solid road, so it’s manageable, but it’s quite steep and there’s not much shade along the way — bring water and a hat if you're going during the day. Unfortunately, the fortress at the top is closed and fenced off, so you can’t go inside. However, it’s still worth the hike for the beautiful panoramic views of Cartagena and the surrounding area. There is a public parking lot right at the base of the hill, which makes the start of the hike easily accessible. There are several other fortresses around Cartagena — if one of them is open to the public and located on a smaller hill, it might be a better choice for visiting, especially if you're looking for easier access or an actual historical site to explore.’



So, what about some History.  In the Mid 16th century an Italian Siege expert was so taken with the place he suggested moving the whole town up here. The fort itself was built in the 18th century and completed in 1777. It spent almost a hundred years of functional quietness when, in the early hours of 12th July 1873 when the Cantonal Rebellion began.  The First Republic had been declared but some Republicans wanted a government based on a bottom up structure, rather than waiting for the Cortes to write a constitution.   According to one version the revolutionaries seized the castle and raised the flag of rebellion.  Alas, the only flag they had to hand was one of the Ottoman Empire.  This version is fun but may not actually have been what happened.



That’s it for today.  Cartagena has a Navidad Fort, which sounds more fun when translated as ‘Christmas Fort.’ We are not going there, Christmas is over.


























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