Sierra Nevada

For some reason I never think of mountains when hearing “Sierra Nevada”. I hope from now on I will remember; since this is the highest mountain range in Spain (just some meters above the altitude of the Pyrenees).
We decided to take a detour from Cabo de Gata to Granada and took the scenic route.
Hidden behind one of the first hills a valleys appears which is obviously part of the “mar del plastico”; so many vegetable farms! We got a little more curious to when we saw them last and got to know that most of them are actually small private farms making it look a lot more “patchy”. Many people work here during harvest season coming not only from Europe, but also Africa and Asia. Already yesterday driving through the first bit of farm land we wondered if there is enough water for all these plants and - surprise! - there is not. But this is a whole other story.
Back to more natural scenery.
It’s so astonishing: all those flowers in quite dry landscapes and then, just behind the other mountain it is lush green. All of this crowned in the background by snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada. We drove through the Alpujarra, a picturesque region with a some pretty white towns, unfortunately known their smoked ham) to the highest point reachable by car - Jaros first time ever > 2.000 m above sea level. We were in the clouds!
And although it is only a three hour drive it took us nearly a day. But! We went for a little hike eventually just at the end. There was some rain recently and some landslides, but we managed and it felt great to move after all this driving. Ending the day in Pampameira - a cute little town within the mountains - we were super happy we took this detour.Read more