as the story goes, the stairs were
carved into
the rock for the visit of
king albert of belgium 1st, a keen mountain climber, in
1920. however, some say
king albert never actually
used the stairs, preferring to take the natural route.
it is
one of the oldest trails in
the city, with the first mention of its existence dating back to
1853. most of the trail is shady but temperatures
can reach high levels and so it is important to bring food and
especially water for the trek.