Finishing up in Granada and our first full day in Las Alpujarras

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Sunday September 15



I am sitting on the patio at our farmhouse in Las Alpujarras. As I write I can hear the clanging of goat and sheep bells across the way as the dogs keep watch from the hill just in front of me. There are baby goats that continue to call to their mothers and a gentle breeze stirs the wisteria leaves above my head. This is what I have longed for - when I can't sleep at home I often visualize this setting and it calms me.



Back to Granada...after we napped Friday evening, we climbed up to the Albaicin section of the city. This was the old Moorish neighborhood, dating back to the 11th century, and the narrow cobbled streets wind up and up past white-washed houses. As we climbed there were taxis and busses coming down from the top and they didn't slow or swerve for pedestrians. The streets are so narrow that at one point I was literally pressed against a wall - I had removed my backpack so that I didn't stick out any further than necessary. The mirror on the bus was an inch from me as it whizzed past.



We finally arrived at the view point - San Nicolas, where we could look across to the Alhambra all lit up against the dark sky. The view was certainly worth the effort of getting there. There were many young people gathered, all taking advantage of the photo opportunity, as well as the match-making possibilities. It seems that University must just be starting and there is a new crop of exchange students in town.



After enjoying the view we stopped at a bar for drinks and a small plate of tapas - olives and chips, and then we wandered back to our apartment. I decided to take advantage of the washing machine and set what I believed was a short cycle...an hour later it finally stopped washing and around 1:00 am I was hanging our clothing around the apartment with hopes it would be dry by morning. By 2:00 am the neighborhood was returning from their Friday night adventures, one more round of dog barking and then all quieted down. Once everyone is in for the night it is truly silent. No sirens, no scooters, no barking.



Saturday morning we got up and packed our bags. We had not checked on the car since we parked it on the street Thursday night and both hoped that we had not overlooked any signs about tow-away zones, or street-sweeping hours, etc. We walked to the car with our first load of belongings and were relieved to find it where we expected it to be. With that concern out of the way we headed back to the Grand Via and Cathedral area. It was still early and there were not many people out. Shop owners were out with buckets of water and brooms cleaning up the poo deposits from the night before. There are many dogs in the city and really no place else to go. We have seen some people picking up after their pets, but clearly there are many who do not and there are probably quite a few stray dogs doing their part. We checked the hours for visiting the Cathedral and decided to stop for cafe and my once-a-trip-to-Spain order of Churros and Chocolate. I was not disappointed! The chocolate is served in a coffee cup and it is thick and dark, and the churros were made fresh as soon as they were ordered. I managed to eat all but one. I don't eat this type of food ever at home, and by the end I was not feeling 100 %, but I had no regrets.



We wandered up and down the narrow streets and alleys stopping to look in windows of each shoe store we passed. I tried on one pair from a street vendor, but couldn't find my size in the color I wanted. We bought some Moroccan style gifts for the girls and then stopped for some lunch in one of the lively plazas. Since it was Saturday there were many families out and about. Young couples with strollers, kids on bikes and little children on scoot-abouts. I enjoyed gazpacho and Sam had a huge salad with tuna. It was a perfect way to experience the life of Granada.



Before returning to our apartment to check out, we visited the Cathedral. I will never get used to the massiveness of cathedrals in Europe. The floors also amaze me with their detailed patterns. Stained glass does not feature significantly in the cathedral in Granada, but there are many huge white columns and an impressive dome. We were glad to have taken the time to visit. Sam lit a candle for Susan - something we have done other times on our trips.



Penelope did her usual job of helping us find our way and soon we were on the A-4 headed south towards our exit to Las Alpujarras. In less than half an hour we turned off the highway and began the climb into the mountains. Around one of the first turns we were level with the blades on one of the many wind turbines and, although we had experienced it before, it was startling. The road is narrow and twists and turns higher and higher. Each time we have come, we think they have widened the road and added guardrails, but I think mostly we have become more confident. We passed through Lanjaron, Orgiva, Pampaneira and finally passed the turn off to Ferreirola, where we stayed the previous two trips. On through Pitres and then we saw the right hand turn that starts steeply downhill to Cortijo Opazo, where we are staying. We were greeted by Oska and Ella, the resident dogs and soon by their humans, Robert and William.



Our apartment is perfect - every detail has been thought out and it is comfortable and well equipped. A loaf of fresh bread, a bottle of beer, juice, eggs and marmalade were provided for us to enjoy our first morning. We arranged ahead of time for a meal and William did not disappoint. We sat on our patio overlooking the hills and enjoyed a tart with Camembert, pistachios, currents, cherry chutney and other marvelous flavors. Next we were served elaborate salads and a Moroccan chicken dish. We were quickly stuffed and knew that dessert was coming so we retrieved containers from our apartment and saved more than half of our dinners for another evening. Dessert was an almond torte and no less amazing than the rest of the meal.



Today we got a slow start but finally located all of our various hiking necessities - shoes, socks, Camelbaks, etc. and were off for our first hike by about 11:00. William and Robert have prepared cards with detailed instructions for many hikes in the area. We were guided by notes such as, "go left at a smelly goat pen," or "don't be tempted by the downhill path, stay to the right and the steep uphill," and " to your left there will be an olive orchard and further on you'll parallel the irrigation channel." We combined two different hikes and ended up going 12 kilometers of ups and downs that totaled about 3000 feet of elevation. When we were 4 km from "home," we stopped at Bar Paco in Busquistar, a spot we have enjoyed before. The TV was playing a bull fight as we entered and several old men were animated about it all as they enjoyed their beers at the counter. We took a table and I had Tinto de Verona and Sam beer. The drinks are small, so no worries. Our tapas included fresh tomatoes, eggs with cheese, fries, stewed pork chunks and bread. We had plenty to eat without ever ordering food. A six euro tab and we were headed back to the path home.



Along many of the paths there are narrow irrigation channels - these were built by the Moors in the 15th century and are still being used by the local farmers. The water comes down from the Sierra Nevada mountains and there is an elaborate system of gates and diversions that determines which channel gets water and when. It really is impressive and clearly crucial to the livelihood of the people of Las Alpujarras. We also enjoyed eating figs off of the many wild trees we passed - the chestnut trees are full of bright green burrs which will soon drop, and there are flowers in bloom everywhere.



The views throughout our day were stunning but since I already have hundreds of photos of this area I tried to pace myself! This area is known for its spring water and we enjoyed drinking from the springs in each village we passed through, as well as one spring far from any town that produces sparkling mineral water. People bring jugs to this spring to fill up with the water that is rumored to keep you from ever aging. We are definitely feeling older than we did three years ago when we hiked here, so we should take advantage of that spring while we are here!



Finally we arrived back home pleased to have taken on such an ambitious hike for our first day here, but really happy to relax now. The sheep and goats have worked their way up onto the grass just in front of me and the shepherd is calling to them (so far they are ignoring him.)

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Comments

[Angelisa Russo]

I love reading about your adventures thus far! Enjoy!