To Roam

Sorry to burst those bubbles, but the way to explore Albarracin, really, is to not have a plan and roam around freely. Spot those little surprises along the way. Of course, you can always pick up a map from the tourism office right at the entrance from the carpark ( where you would have arrived from) towards the main casa enclaves, before you begin your "hike".
 But the "planner" in you should take a backseat and just follow your instincts when it comes to navigating around. In any case, there will always be locals or visitors around in the day ( at least) and you can always ask if you need any help. And if you are really lost in this little town, just head back the stairs downwards where you will eventually reach the carpark again.

View from the arrival carpark.

This road leads the way into Albarracin town.

What To Expect

There are no hand railings when you climb up those narrow streets of Albarracin and as you wander in deeper into the terracing houses, which may be tedious for the elderly or those with kneecap problems.

Feel the Magical Medieval Times
The many houses hanging above your head with wooden balconies known as casas colgadas, will leave you in awe of their beauty and marvel at the minds behind such architecture and construction back then.

House of the Navarro de Arzuriaga (blue)
One of the most outstanding houses washed in blue

Journey along this Quaint Little Town

So here, in this post, I will lead you to some of the main sights to catch and to capture those gorgeous views along the way.

Calle Azagra
The narrow streets of Azagra lead to many of the casas. Wander around aimlessly

Stop and Stare

Guess who we had for companionship?
Can you spot it below?

Portal de Molina

Towards the end of  Portal de Molina, stood the Casa de la Julianeta (house of Julianeta), one of the most iconic symbols on the street. Supported only by horizontal beams, there are no vertical beams within the house. Amazing isn't it? 
From the streets of Portal de Molina, it will lead all the way to Portal del Aqua.

The Portal Del Agua, is one of the main gates framing the Community Square

Walk South and this is the view that greets you, with much wider pavements. 

Gorgeous right? This direction was said to grant descend to the river on the south. 

Climbing up those steps and you get the grand, wider perspective of the Portal Del Agua's gate arch and its adjacent connecting tower on the right. That's my travel buddies there.

Plaza Mayor

This is also where the Ayuntamiento, town hall is located

Cathedral Street






The Castillo (castle) in the background marks the highest point at 1196 metres above sea level. Entrance to the Castillo is ticketed.

Vantage Point 1

 This imposing Murallas (fortress) runs all the way connecting the city and across the mountain with the Tower of Walker as its highest and strongest point.
With the cathedral in the foreground, the view is just breathtaking.
If you look carefully, there are 3 roads that converge to the ascend of the fort! It's really amazing what went on in the minds to build up such a complicated system of defence over three hundred years ago.
This was taken from the top of the Castillo.

Vantage Point 2

For another best view of the Murallas, head to the square outside the cathedral, at the plaza outside the Baroque chapel, is where you can get the best view of the Albarracin.
This is the vantage point for most, so keep on snapping and don't miss out.

Climbing Up The Fort

After admiring the fort from afar, it was time to get an up-close and personal. We climbed up from Portal de Molina which gave us a glimpse of the staggering lego-like fortress looming right in front our very eyes. As I was researching, I found the answers as to why the fort is not concentrated around the urban area where the population was concentrated. Rather, these were built upon a highland point simply because they had wanted to protect the livestock and these provide a large land area for grazing.


Along the climb, you will be rewarded with the renowned postcard shot of Albarracin. This is especially so at night where the "town" practically glows amongst the mystical orange lights in the emptiness of the dark looming skies.
We however only had the opportunity to admire it in the daytime.
From this angle, you get the overview of Albarracin, the cathedral, castle and more



A wefie on the journey high-up to mark our journey.

The Climb

Climbing up was no joke and took us 30 minutes to reach just the base of the fort. Between juggling my camera and phone for photo taking, I also had to mind my steps on the stony, uneven gravels and pinned my eyes on those unfenced cliff-edges high up in the mountains.
 The clumsy city girl in me really had to tread carefully on those stones and slopes for fear of falling or slipping.




Heading up to the Tower of the Walker is what most people aimed to do.

The Descend

The condition of the pathway — sand and stones on steep slopes. My advice is to have firm anti-slip walking shoes. Ladies, sandals are a big no, no.



There are no barriers, handrails, barricades between you and the impending vertical cliff that lies below, on the left. The sand is not the most friction-proofed surface either.

Time To Refuel!

The Truth About Siesta! Fun Facts

No, It is not true that all Sapiens/ businesses take the siesta after lunch. Many companies and office workers continue to work after lunch and often skip this afternoon nap after lunch. 

Appetizers

As in every part of Spain, Spanians love starting appetizers with Migas. Migas is basically bread, smashed into crumbs, stirred fried in olive oil and in Teurel comes with bacon and serve with grapes


Appetizers also come with the different cuts of meat platter.

As with every restaurant you dine in Spain, water and wine are always served, free-flow.




Braised Chicken with dates


Desserts!


Baked apple in sweet sauce and Chocolate pastry


How do I describe its taste? It is sort of like a flaky layered pastry, drizzled with chocolate sauce.


  




Here I bid you adiós! 
Come and experience Albarracin for yourself in this quaint little town.

PIN IT FOR LATER! 

http://www.albarracin.es

http://casadesantiago.es/

http://www.spain.info/en_SG/