Next we managed to find the barracks halls (we wandered down some spiral staircase that dumped us out into these rooms we had seen from above on the battery). There are a number of rooms, and a wonderful exhibit displaying how the troops lived.
Next we went into the dungeons. Oohhh….creepy…and actually, they sort of were scary. Big tunnels, so it wasn’t very claustrophobic, but they were very hot and humid, and just not a pleasant place to be. Entering into one of the dungeons, there are drawings of ships on the wall – drawn by one of the Spanish captains held there before his execution. Creepy.
We’ve covered so much ground, but we are still not done! As we are making our way back down to the courtyard, Milagros comes running after us – asking for our home address. Her supervisor wants to send us a gift for being the first people to visit the Castille. How sweet! Back through the battery, we end up at a stair case that goes into the basement – which turns out to be the main entry to the fortress – we entered through the Historical Entry. Down here is one of the gift shops, a model of the fort and supposedly a movie that gives us an overview of history of the castle. We hang out in the theater for a while, waiting for the film, but it never starts. After visiting the facilities, we ask the ranger on duty about the film, but he says it is not working right now. OK. Well, nice little rest for us anyway. The ranger is totally customer focused. He shows us the map of the property and then asks if we want to see the outside park area –which was the first line of defense against a land invasion. We said sure – and he virtually ran up the stairs and out into the yard to point us to the little fortification at the end of the property and explain a little bit about the fortress and its grounds. He was so excited to have someone to show around. Sweet.
So, outside we go, and around to the large grassy which contained multiple lines of defense and a small fortress. And also Helen. Another Park Ranger who is so nice, and helpful, and talkative. She is an architect who volunteered for years, then finally got a permanent position with the NPS. She is also happy to be back at work and talks to us at length about the last 2 months, and the fact that she still doesn’t have power at her house either – but at least has a gas stove. The NPS has been kind enough to let the rangers use their facilities though, so she’s been able to do her laundry and at least be in air conditioning for parts of the day. We chit chat for a long while, but then decide to get moving because the sun is searing us along with the heat. Walking through the battlements, the sky is gorgeous and photos are spectacular, first looking out over the devil’s sentry box (because it is said to be haunted)…
Then looking toward the Condado area, through the original gates to the fortress…
…and finally with a long shot of the Castille. Gorgeous!
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