More on São Filipe Fortress/Castle

This is one of two access areas from the inn or terrace level to the upper level of the fortress. When you reach the upper level you find a large expanse of stone (photo below) extending out in several directions. If you noted the schematic of the fortress in the first blog post you will recall that the format was that of a 6 pointed star.


In this image there is a "sentry box" or turret at the far end which is one of the six star points of the fortress and each star point is topped by one of these turrets.

I walked up to that turret in the distance and turned around to face in the direction of the city and harbour and took this photo (actually I took it the next morning at sunrise, hence the orange tint).
If you look closely at this photo on the right, you can see two other similar turrets each of which is on one of the other star points.

The photo below was taken from the same location but looking in a southerly direction toward the Arrabida hills and the ocean and another point on the star arrangement of the fortress. Not sure you can appreciate the star shape from these images but you no doubt get the point, as it were.

Looking over the rather low wall down to the fortress entry area parking lot the size of the cars gives some indication about the height of the outer wall at this location. Here, in the photo below, you can also see a second wall, about 8 meters high, which extends around the fortress forming a barrier to attack, though I have no idea if they added water to increase its effectiveness as a defence against intrusion.

From the ground you can certainly see in the image to the left the very distinct point of this section of the fortress complete with the turret perched at the top.

And this view from the ground gives a pretty good perspective on the height of the outer walls as well as the tenacity of plants that grow in any nook and cranny that the walls provide!

Here we are looking north just after sunrise so there is a nice glow on the fortress wall. At the base of the outer fortress wall is the second wall which surrounds the fortress and which we saw in the image of the parking area on the westerly side.

There are so many great vantage points for photos, especially in this morning light on our first full day. This was definitely the best light for photography while we were there. Check out the red flowers growing out of the wall.

So, in the early morning when there was no one else around I spent a good deal of time poking around to look for what I hoped would be interesting light and points of view which might convey the ambiance of the place and this spectacular morning.

The above and the next few images are the result of my meandering search that morning.

In the first post about the castle I mentioned some entry ways to enclaves below the upper level which were open and accessible - the image to the left was made at the entrance to one of those places.










And after descending a dozen or so quite steep and narrow steps I was in a tiny "room" which looks out through the arched opening, in the photo to the right, toward the town and the harbour.

This is the stairway leading out of this space and when I got to the top and looked out through the doorway I saw the this image (below) of the expanse of stone floor, the tower and a glimpse of the harbour beyond. For me these last six images convey, through small windows, some of the character and mystery of this place.

A few more photos to come.