Casares

One of our discoveries in Spain was a beautiful, picturesque white town in Andalusia. The first settlement existed here as far back as Roman times. There is even a legend that Julius Caesar was treated in the thermal waters and ordered the settlement to be founded. Hence the name Caesaria, which over time became Casares.


In the city, we were struck by the car park, which is huge, nine storeys high, and built in the style of other buildings. It is very unusual; we have never seen anything like it anywhere else. It looks like some kind of castle or palace. 


There is a children's playground on the roof of the car park.








The tour of the town begins here. In the 13th–15th centuries, Casares changed hands several times. In 1485, the town was finally conquered by the armies of Ferdinand and Isabella, the Catholic monarchs. The fortress ceased to be a defensive stronghold, but the town itself retained its Arab layout with narrow, winding streets.




















Let's climb to the top. From the 8th century onwards, the city was under Muslim rule. It was they who built the fortress to control the surrounding area and the roads to the sea. The castle was an important part of Andalusia's defence system. The ruins of the walls and towers have survived to this day.
























From the cliffs, you can see vultures (buitres leonados, Gyps fulvus) flying here, similar to condors in the Andes. The wingspan of local vultures reaches 2.5 - 2.8 metres, so they can really be confused with condors. And the cliffs here are so high that they create ideal conditions for nesting.








We also recommend stopping at the car park near school 36.443389, -5.269528, which also has a good viewing platform.


Getting there: free parking 36.443583, -5.270972.