Some walks are special because the places you pass through hold emotions and stories from a past so ancient that it feels as though those experiences are trapped in every rock, every brick, every setting you pass through.
If you know how to be moved and to experience each place you visit for the first time with intensity, the sensations are so powerful that they transcend time. At least, that’s how it is for me.
A while ago, knowing the history of that place, I set out to climb and climb stairs, many stairs, exploring a site that has been restored, and extensively so, but which was once a great wall that protected the city; a wall through which many people passed, and where, I believe, the strongest feelings were those of defence, protection and struggle. I could feel exactly that with every step I took.
Whilst the views in either direction, whether of the city and the Mediterranean Sea or of the city’s castles, are always beautiful, and I never tire of looking at them or saying how marvellous they are, because I fell in love with this city the moment I arrived, the path upwards revealed corners I’d never seen before.
It was quite a challenge, because after that day I was absolutely aching, but every step I took was worth it, not only because of the beauty of the place, but also because I was thinking about that history, the neighbourhood and the people who used to live there. At that time, in that very spot centuries ago, there were very poor people living off fishing who didn’t even have basic amenities, not even electricity. The poverty was overwhelming.
Over the years, the whole area has been transformed; the neighbourhood has disappeared, the city has grown, even reclaiming land from the sea and expanding its territory.
I looked through the walls and the plants and trees that make up the castles’ outdoor gardens and thought that everything I was seeing now hadn’t existed before, only the sea. The harbour, the avenues, the seafront promenade, many of the government buildings and all that luxury you see now, with the yachts and boats… none of that was there many years ago, when the fishermen depended on their catch to make a living and the seashore lay very close to the spot where I was walking at that very moment.
Places retain the energy of the people who have passed through them, and there was a mixture of hope, effort, struggle and sadness, but at the same time simplicity, unpretentiousness and an appreciation for life’s little things.
Now the ‘coracha’, as they call it, stands tall and imposing, with beautiful gardens full of flowers and plants of all kinds, plus the city’s characteristic tres, especially the pines, and the views are breathtaking, but it wasn’t always like that.
There were many tourists climbing and walking the same path I was taking, but I don’t think many were thinking about what I was thinking about, that long history, with the experiences of so many people who once lived there. I think that’s why I love the history of Spain and of Europe in general so much: because of the centuries it has spanned.
Now the place looks marvellous and is well worth a visit for people from all over the world; it’s lovely to climb each flight of steps, pause for a moment, look around, admire the landscape and surroundings, carry on climbing and discover passageways and hidden nooks, one might even think they’re full of mysteries, and spend a moment there breathing in the fresh air, which at that altitude feels very different from down below.
It was a special walk in a unique place with a powerful atmosphere that’s well worth experiencing. It was a walk taken step by step, and it was well worth savouring every single one.
Thank you very much for joining me on this Wednesday walk; I send you my warmest regards. See you soon.
Amonet.
All photographs are my own.