Spain is like a bottomless treasure chest: you can travel it far and wide, and still have a new surprise in store for you on each subsequent voyage. This time, it gave us the chance to get to know the island of Gaztelugatxe.
On Spanish highways we often came across brownish signs: the road to places of interest is usually designated by a special sign. Not all places are described in guidebooks, and it was all the more interesting to suddenly obey, turn along one of the arrows, not knowing whether a grand monumental complex or some faceless half-meter fragment of an ancient Roman wall awaits you. We turned along one of these signs with the mysterious word Gaztelugatxe when we were driving through the Basque country.
We drove through some town, then got a little lost and were about to give up on the idea and return to the highway, when we came to a small parking lot, looked back at the ocean and saw it - a tiny rocky island connected to the "mainland" by a stone dam. It is located on the coast not far from the city of Bermeo.
On the top of the cliff there is a small church dedicated to John the Baptist. It was built in the 10th century by the Templars, and they loved to keep secrets, so for several centuries few people knew about this place. But it is known that in 1593 the cathedral was robbed by the famous pirate Francis Drake.
The island was far below, and we began our descent. Small signs showed the way, stating that we had to walk 3 kilometers. The civilized asphalt turned into chaotically thrown cobblestones, then they ended too - only rather slippery mud remained. Naturally, at exactly that moment a downpour began (almost the only one in 10 days of the trip).
Then I read the stories of tourists, and it turned out that almost everyone who visited this place got caught in the rain: either there is some local peculiarity of the wind rose, or, before getting to the sacred place, you need to pass a small test.
The hardest part was yet to come, though. We descended to a small dam leading to the island, and beyond it began the stairs to the top – we had to climb 231 uneven, high steps.
This view will surely be remembered by fans of the series "Game of Thrones". It was along this dam and these stairs that Jon Snow and Davos Seaworth walked in season 7 to meet Daenerys Targaryen in Dragonstone Castle. Only thanks to special effects, they came not to the temple, but to the residence of the beauty, which, in fact, is located ... in Northern Ireland.
Never before had I felt so clearly that I could be blown away: the low, knee-level railings, although laid out of reliable stone, did not inspire much confidence. The hurricane wind forced me to bend over backwards and cling to the steps, literally crawling along them.
And here is the summit. A small church with a continuously ringing bell was waiting for us. According to legend, three strikes will help fulfill any wish, so tourists constantly ring it.
I hope that none of the peasants living nearby will be irritated by this, because it is believed that this sound is healing and relieves headaches.
Usually the church is closed, services are held several times a year. First of all, on June 24, the feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist. Someone who does not believe in miracles may wonder: why go up to the church if you do not want to ring the bell and, besides, the best view of the island is from the shore? For the sake of other views, for the sake of being part of an unusual place, for the sake of the indescribable feeling that comes over a person standing on the edge of the abyss above the ocean - to feel the real elements - each of the dozens of tourists who climb the rock every day will find their own answer. But it is definitely worth doing!
According to legend, John the Baptist once landed on this shore and walked along the island, leaving three such giant footprints.
There is another legend associated with this place: they say that medieval inquisitors walled up heretics in the caves of the island.
By the way, it turned out that it was not necessary to go down the steep path straight down the slope: another fairly wide asphalt road leads to the island: cars are not allowed there, but you can walk there. If you decide to visit this place, you will have to choose what you like more: a short, straight and difficult path or a long, winding and easy one.
Source: travel.ru
