We decided to take a trip to the Spanish city of Jaén for our anniversary. It is the capital city of the province of Jaén, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. We decided to celebrate there and stay at the Parador of Jaén on the Santa Catalina hill. It is located beside the Santa Catalina Castle and has stunning views of the entire area.

We checked into the Parador and were struck by the beauty of the building. It is considered one of the best castle hotels in Europe. There were stone features throughout the Parador and it felt as if we were going back in time.

There was an amazing vaulted ceiling in the main dinning hall which was 20 meters high.

There were many features that reflected a medieval time throughout the Parador.

We arrived at our room and were amazed at the beautiful views from our room. We had our own private balcony and a nice outdoor sitting area. We decided to go hiking before settling into the balcony area.  We changed into our hiking clothes and headed out to explore the area. We went down a path along the side of the ancient fortified walls of the castle.

We walked for about two hours exploring the area. There was a natural park area alongside the wall which we decided to venture into and explore. There were olive trees and a nice trail that lead along the edge of the ridge that overlooked the city below.

We came across some beautiful views of the city that stretched out below us.

After hiking through the natural area we decided to head back to the Parador and relax. We set ourselves up on our balcony with a snack and a glass of red wine. We rested and enjoyed the vistas for a while.

We rested up and then headed out to explore the city of Jaén. We walked into the city centre and explored the old city centre. 

We walked through the marble streets looking at the unique shops and architecture. 

Some of the marble streets were almost like pieces of art. They were uniquely decorated and looked like carpets or hallways.

There were beautiful plazas located in the centre which had fountains and highlighted by lighting.

We decided to stop for something to eat and take a break. We found a nice quaint small plaza called Plaza Posito and located in the plaza was a restaurant called “Bar Del Posito ” 

We enjoyed some great tasting tapas and the service was so friendly and attentive that we came back to this spot several times during our stay in Jaén. After enjoying some tapas we headed back to the Parador for the night.

We explored areas within the Parador and we went to the lounge area for a nightcap. Ray decided to have his photo taken with a couple of medieval knights guarding the premises.

The next day we explored the 13th century Castle Santa Catalina and the area around the Parador.  We walked through large arches and walked towards the cross of Castle Santa Catalina. 

We walked along the stone walkway towards the peak area. 

Finally we reached the end of the walkway and came to the Cross of the Castle Santa Catalina.

The views from here were spectacular and we could see the entire region.

We looked down on the city of Jaén and could see the Cathedral.

The cross which stands majestically above Jaén towers up above the landscape.

It is a monument that was erected by Ferdinand III in the spring of 1246 after overtaking the fortress. There are so many historic interesting facts about this area including the fact that Napoleon’s troops turned the fortress into a stronghold  in 1808. The cross was originally made out of wood but it is now a stone replica. 

“Que tengas un buen día”