A Mystic Holiday In Alarcon

For those who are in search of a special holiday, one wrapped in mystery waiting to be discovered and explored, the Spanish town of Alarcon is absolutely perfect. The Alarcon Parador is now a luxurious hotel, but is also a well preserved castle in this beautiful country. The Parador has a very nice story regarding its settlement, and this is perhaps one of the reasons why tourists love the place and are eager to visit it.

The legends says that a Visigoth prince was hunting and found a hill which was almost completely surrounded by a river; he saw it as the perfect location for building a fortress, and when his father saw it too, the construction of the parador began. The parador that stays below Cuenca has very thick walls made of stone, as they were the only ones that could protect the fortress in times of war.

The walls have turrets which surround both the Parador and the town of Alarcon; the towers had a very important role to play during centuries. One of the towers, one which goes down to the river of Jucar, was designed to protect the local inhabitants of the town in their journeys to take water from underneath it during sieges.

The control of the castle

As you probably know, Spain was under Moorish and Christian control over the decades; the Parador of Alarcon was no exception from the rule. The Moors had control over it for several hundreds of years; the story of the Christian Conquest from the Moors impresses tourists: it is said that Christians succeeded in taking control with the help of a brave knight who used two daggers to climb its thick walls. Once inside the Parador, he opened the doors, permitting the forces of King Alfonso VIII to get in and defeat the Moors.

The feeling that tourists get when they visit the castle is unique: the spirit and flavor are all impressive, making the tourist really feel they’ve been taken back in time by hundreds of years. While you are there, visit the medieval Alarcon, the old quarter, the Santa Maria Church and the town hall. A day trip to Cuenca, the small city which is famous for its hanging houses, is also a very enjoyable activity. Visit the Parador and you will be amazed by the beauty of the landscapes and by the feeling surrounding it.