Visiting Daenerys Stormborn
One day while watching Game of Thrones, when Daenerys Stormborn, having landed on Dragonstone Island, climbed the winding road leading to the castle of the same name, I was so taken away – “Hey, yes I was there! ”. The family nest of the Targaryen house really exists, only not in Westeros, but in the north of Spain. And there is no pompous castle there - the creators of the series “finished it”. Instead, a modest church built in the 10th century by the Templars rises on a tiny island. And this miracle is called - San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe today
Dragonstone in the series
Before appearing in the Game of Thrones, this was a completely non-tourist place. The fact is that San Juan de Gaztelugache is located in the north - no, not in Winterfell, but in the Basque Country, about 20 kilometers from the city of Bilbao. The vast majority of tourists head to the east coast of Spain, where beach holidays reign. And the masterpieces of architecture of Barcelona, Madrid, less often Malaga and Seville serve as food for thought. Bilbao is known to the general public except for the Athletic football club and the Guggenheim Museum of Contemporary Art. And only a few people know that somewhere outside the city, in the Bay of Biscay, there is a miracle island.
We visited Gastelugach back in 2010. And that, thanks to the fact that the wife googled well before the trip to Bilbao. It is impossible to get here by public transport, which partly explains the lack of promotion of the cultural oasis. On our arrival, and it was summer, the weather was wonderful sunny. To go down to the shore, the car had to be left on the side of the highway, and for a long time to go down the path overgrown with bushes. Perhaps there is a more civilized descent, but we did not find it.
The "entrance" to the island turned out to be free, although I have a suspicion that now it is paid. Even 2 years ago, the Spanish authorities sounded the alarm that after the release of the seventh season, the island was visited by an abnormal number of tourists - more than 75 thousand! And that's just for two months. For comparison: when we were in Gastelugach, there were people there with a gulkin nose, and only Spaniards.
The island of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe is connected to the mainland by a bridge laid through the rocks, turning into a serpentine staircase, which has exactly 237 wide steps, so it will take a long time to climb. But as a reward, a breathtaking view awaits you!
As it should be for all attractions, Gastelugache has his own belief: if you go through all the steps and ring the bell, making a wish, it will come true. However, you can ring the bell without it, and at any time and as much as you like. This "attraction" is available to everyone - the bell hangs right above the entrance to the chapel.
There are no regular services here, and therefore the church rarely opens its doors to parishioners. It was the same on our visit. However, through the muddy round windows of the gate, we could see a pretty boat inside, from which we concluded that the interior of the church is dominated by a marine theme. This is also indicated by the stained-glass window in the form of a ship's rudder.
The observation deck is paved with stone. Tables and benches are also made from it in the covered “recreation area” with a fireplace, where you can relax or refuel your exhausted body. And if you feel like it, then at your service is a toilet equipped with the latest scientific and technological progress of the Middle Ages - that is, with a hole in the floor, through which everything superfluous from a bird's eye view falls into the abyss of the sea.
For more refined natures, and I am sure that there are such among you, there is a secluded place: if you leave the path, you can stumble upon a wonderful bench, set exactly above the cliff with a gorgeous view of the Bay of Biscay. Why not a place for kissing or meditation?
Thanks to the Targaryens, the Starks, the Lannisters and their ilk, Gastelugache's seclusion has come to an end. This is both good and bad. Good - because others will learn about this wonderful place. Bad - because Gastelugache can suffer from the invasion of tourists. Suffice it to recall the Croatian Dubrovnik, where the scenes of King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, were filmed: crowds of fans of the series almost trampled the pearl of the Adriatic.
