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Loving trees
Carob warehouses
Wine amphorae..and almonds
View of the CastleA half day trip to Saint Hilarion castle
A side trip to Saint Hilarion castle is very much recommended, the road getting there is very scenic and the castle itself is fairy-tale like. It dates back to the 11th century and it's located on a mountain - with parts of it emerging from the mountain and using the rocky cliffs as part of the construction. At times mountain and castle blend magically. The castle is divided in three different parts, lower, middle and upper part - and it is believed to have had more than 100 rooms and apartments.
When you walk through the gate and inside the caste walls, the first place you'll encounter is the lower part, which is also the largest part, where where soldiers and animals used to live... buildings were basic and simple, there... stables, basically. There are several custodian towers, there.
The middle part is further up the mountain, after a house with a vaulted passage (the Gate House); there is also a church there, the church annexes, a water cistern, a kitchen and its cellars, a large 14th century hall (possibly the refectory) and some 13th century Royal Apartments.
The upper part, quite a long way above the middle part, is where the real Royal Apartments would have been - views from there are breathtaking. The royal apartments up there, which date back to the 14th century, used to have their own water cistern and kitchen. There was also a large courtyard flanked by the twin crests of mountain upon which it is built.
