点评:Pay a visit Elmina Castle if you’re in the area.
The first European structure in sub-Saharan Africa, Elmina Castle towers over the Gulf of Guinea’s blue waters on one side and the bustling fishing village on the other. When the Portuguese erected this fortress in 1482, they built it to last. 540 years later the battlements stand strong and the hardwood floors and rafters are worn smooth with the passage of time.
Spend an hour or two walking freely about the bastions and interior spaces. The sea breezes and commanding views provide ample incentive for reflective pauses. There’s even a small restaurant in the northeast corner where visitors can take refreshments and watch the townspeople’s fishing boats venturing to and fro.
I traveled to Elmina castle with a local and we didn’t pay an entrance fee or hire a guide, but guides were standing ready to provide a tour. If visitors do some light reading prior to arrival, it’s quite a nice experience to do alone, at your own pace.
My only regret is that the government of Ghana doesn’t put a little more funding towards the maintenance of the window fittings and other small aspects of the building. Elmina Castle is a monument to engineering and exploration, as well as a testament to man’s cruelty during the colonial period.
翻译:如果您在该地区,请参观埃尔米纳城堡。
埃尔米纳城堡是撒哈拉以南非洲第一座欧洲建筑,一侧俯瞰几内亚湾蓝色的海水,另一侧俯瞰熙熙攘攘的渔村。当葡萄牙人于 1482 年建造这座堡垒时,他们将其建设得长久。 540 年后,城垛依然坚固,硬木地板和椽子随着时间的流逝而磨损得光滑。
花一两个小时在堡垒和内部空间自由漫步。海风和居高临下的景色为人们提供了充足的理由停下来思考。东北角甚至还有一家小餐馆,游客可以在那里享用茶点并观看镇民的渔船来来往往。
我和当地人一起去了埃尔米纳城堡,我们没有支付入场费,也没有聘请导游,但导游已经准备好提供游览服务。如果游客在抵达前阅读一些书籍,那么按照自己的节奏独自阅读也是一种很好的体验。
我唯一的遗憾是加纳政府没有投入更多的资金来维护窗户配件和建筑物的其他小方面。埃尔米纳城堡是工程和探索的纪念碑,也是殖民时期人类残酷行为的证明。