In Casares, Gaucin and Estepona some of our villas and country properties for sale have the most spectacular view over the Pillars of Hercules, The Rock of Gibraltar on the European side and on the South side either the Jebel Moussa (Musa) in Morocco, or Mount Hacho (held by Spain), near the city of Ceuta (the Spanish exclave on the Moroccan coast). These are in one word magical!
According to some Roman sources, while on his way to the garden of the Hesperides on the island of Erytheia, Hercules had to cross the mountain that was once Atlas. Instead of climbing the great mountain, Hercules used his superhuman strength to smash through it. By doing so, he connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and formed the Strait of Gibraltar. One part of the split mountain is Gibraltar and the other is either Monte Hacho or Jebel Musa. These two mountains taken together have since then been known as the Pillars of Hercules, though other natural features have been associated with the name. According to other sources, instead of smashing through an isthmus to create the Straits of Gibraltar, Hercules narrowed an already existing strait to prevent monsters from the Atlantic Ocean from entering the Mediterranean Sea.
Atlantis
Adding to this myth is the statement of Plato that the mystical island of Atlantis lay (just) beyond the Pillars of Hercules, generally assumed to be mountainous outcrops on opposite sides of the Strait of Gibraltar. Other sources hoewever locate Atlantis in the sea of Marmara in between the Black sea and the Aegean sea. Whichever of these myths is to be believed we cannot tell. What we do know is that the villas and country houses with views over the Rock of Gibraltar and the Atlas mountains takes everyones breath away! It is a sight that you’ll never get bored of and is different every day depending on the wind, the heat, the cold. Sometimes you are touched by the peaks escaping the mist below, other days you are flabbergasted by the clearness of the sky, making it possible to even see the houses in the hills on the other side of the Mediterrenean.
The lucky ones
Living at just a few minutes drive from the coast, the beach, the golf courses and having a view like this? Some think that only the luxury resort of La Zagaleta has to offer this. Well, they are wrong! In the hills around Casares, in areas like La Celima and El Jaral, we can offer you e few villas boasting these views. If you like to be further inland, we can offer a few villas in Gaucín with these spectaculair views. (25 minute drive from the coast). Last but not least, in Los Reales, Estepona, 10 minutes from the towns center you will find some more. It’s just for the lucky ones!
Oscar Ernstsen | 7th May 2013
