So, last weekend David and Laura, our overwhelmingly wonderful landlords took us out to the Castle of San Felipe, one of Ferrol's most widely known land marks. They share an attitude of disdainful indifference in regards to the castle, as they think it is poorly restored (which it is) and ugly. They joked upon entering that the Castle wasn't worth the Euro twenty entrance fee. Of course, Sheena, Callie and I were elated to be walking around in any castle, even if it was crummy by Spanish standards. People in Europe are just spoiled!! (See how excited we are? This photo is looking inward toward Ferrol)
Honestly though, San Felipe is really quite interesting. It was constructed by King Philip II in the late sixteenth century, along with a sister castle across the river, the Castillo de La Palma (in the picture to the right). The king had decided that the location would be perfect to house the Spanish navy, as the windy nature of the river and mountains surrounding make it virtually impossible for ships (or armies) to enter the area without permission.
At one point, the military actually strung a huge metal chain between the two castles, and would raise it to prevent ships from entering. Genius. Apparently, you can still see the chain stretch across the fjord when the water is clear.
This is the view from the castle toward Ferrol.(Once again, I love colorful boats!) In the foreground is Mugardos, a village across the bay from Ferrol, and behind the initial hill is where I live! You can kind of make out the cranes in the distance....
Look! Our Landlords, David y Laura, enjoying a cigarette (how Spanish) on a 16th Century castle. No big deal. They're absolutely incredible.
This is basically the view they were looking at. The rocks are COVERED in muscles. yum.
I don't know why, but David thought this was a really good idea. He took about ten photos of us around this well, none of them turned out that well, but what-a-do?
This is the sign for the womens room. Perhaps one of the reasons Laura didn't think this place was worth the entrance fee....
Just to keep consistent with the creepy, David wanted us to stage this photo, because he's artsy. It's a good photo, except that I can't help but notice the giant puddle on the ground in front of Callie. In reality, it's condensation from the stalactites forming in the archways, but in black and white it's a little Macabre, no?
Ok, onward! After the castle we drove up the coast to the beaches. We've had uncharacteristically good weather, and I'm still waiting for the storm clouds. We drove north along the coast, passing beach after pristine beach. I can't wait for the warm weather! The water is teal and gorgeous, and there is NO trash anywhere. I'll have to put those photos up tomorrow, though, because I'm off to see our wonderful Spanish friends. Look! I have a photo of them! (I promise, there are girls in our group also, they just didn't want their photos taken...) This is us in the Bar Irlanda, a small pub-ish place that's owned by a couple, and has REALLY good food that comes with the drinks. (Tapas are the best thing ever.)
Ciao!
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