Castell

On Sunday 11th, we decided to have a 'day off' from our driving around and stayed closer to home.
Taking the promenade southward through the next resort of Cala Millor, we found ourselves leaving behind the hustle and bustle - and all the Germans! and walking out onto the small headland called the Punta de N'Amer. On the top of this promontory there sits a small, fortified tower, the Castell de N'Amer.

This watch tower was built in 1698. Proposals to build such a fortified 'castillo' were already drawn up one hundred years earlier, but it took a long time and an intervening attack by pirates from the Turkish shores to agree on its execution as well as the small matter of funding.

The tiny fortress is unique in Mallorca for its square shape, its moat and its drawbridge. At the time of it's construction, two canons and four guards were sufficient to guard the shoreline. No more Saracen attacks were reported after its construction. With a fearsome guard as this one...... who can blame them?

The tower stands within the 500 acre natural park of the 'punta' which includes long stretches of coastal dunes (a fast disappearing habitat), pine woods and scrub land. The tower gives you a wonderful view along the whole coastline. Time for one last look and then its almost a 4 mile walk back to our hotel which is in the far distance in this shot, almost at the right hand edge of the built-up area.

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