Sunday 17 October 2010

Beacons on the hill

When we were looking at the sketch map of Astros, we couldn't work out what one of the little drawings was - turned out it was a castle!
In the bakery where we used to get our breakfast, there were three photos on the wall of Astros going back to the early 20th century, from about 19-something to 1928. At that stage it looks as if it was pretty much a few houses tumbling down the hill with the castle on it. There's a small open air theatre, and a little lighthouse. When you walk up to the castle, there's a hidden bit of the headland, with another beacon on it, this one solar-powered. Someone in the village was telling us that one hadn't been there all that long, only since the area got developed more so that the original beacon was lost in all the village lights. The hill top was covered with almond trees - with tiny, very bitter almonds. There were also splashes of little cyclamen growing here and there - even in cracks in the rocks.  I can't find a date for the castle; it was remarkably spacious inside those walls, but not all that old looking. However there used to be a much older settlement on the same site - you could still see traces of the walls. In the night photo, you can see the lit-up cross on the church that was downhill from the castle.









2 comments:

Lorraine said...

What a wonderful place to explore with all those sites. Such a contrast between the ancient castle and the outdoor theater. And the lighthouse! I love the blue roof! You've covered everything top of the hill to the beautiful cyclamen on the ground.

Susan said...

Yes, the contrast of the cyclamen with the stone ruins is quite telling. Lovely, lovely pics.