Our first day after Lisbon was a sea day where the family got together for meals, conversations and lectures on the coming eclipse. A highlight was cruising between the Pillars of Hercules, or the Straits of Gibraltar.
The next day we returned to Alicante. Kevin, Shannon and Elias took a tour to some villages out of town. Brian, Liz, Liam and I went into Alicante while Suzi and Fiona stayed on the ship. It was hot. The first time Suzi and I walked to the tunnel under the Santa Barbara Citadel hoping to take the elevator up. It was over capacity so we walked along the Corniche and went back to the ship. This time the four of us took a cab to the fortress and did some exploring.
The Citadel sits 166 meters, or 545 feet above the town and has a 360 degree view of what is below. Construction started in the 9th century by the Muslem Rulers. Legend is that a caliph, and his daughter Cantara lived there. Cantara had two suiters, Almanzor and Ali. Almanzor was wealthy and preferred by the Caliph for his daughter. Cantara preferred Ali. The father arranged a test between the suitors which resulted in Ali’s death. Cantara was so distraught that she threw herself off the ramparts. The father, realizing what he had done, followed suit and threw himself off the ramparts. The city is named for Ali and Cantara, Alicante. Looking at the mountain from the beach, some say you can see the profile of the Caliph. I didn’t see it.
On December 4,1248 St. Barbara’s Day, the castle was captured by Christian forces and was renamed in her honor. The tunnels under the citadel were used as air raid shelters during the Spanish Civil war.
I did some exploring with the kids but then set myself up on a terrace with a cold coke to enjoy the views and let the kids explore further. There are microwave facilities at the top and a sign warning off people wearing pacemakers. We opted to take the elevator down. The tunnel at the bottom is fitted with atmospheric lighting.
We walked back along the Corniche and took a Tuk Tuk back to the ship. That evening there was a sunset concert in town, which we could enjoy from our balcony. Several small boats pulled up to watch the concert while we watched the sunset, the sun sinking between two cranes, goalposts.
