Hola a todos! My sincere apologies the recent lack of
postings. What follows is looking to be the first in a series of catch-up
ramblings. Take a brief moment to totally disregard any sense of chronology. I
myself cannot even assign a date to things anymore. Life’s been quite the blur
(in the best way possible, of course!).
Granada is situated at the base of smaller mountains, which
eventually grow into the grand Sierra Nevada range. The closest of these
mountains house the Alhambra fortress and the Sacromonte Abbey, both of which
are within walking distance from the city center. As we had already explored
the touristy and civilized sectors of these mountains, it was high time we
became acquainted with the actual terrain.
A group of about seven of us set out mid-afternoon with
hopes of maybe seeing the sun set over Granada. Hopping on the first trail
spotted, we walked along the mountain’s edge, quickly ascending above the
valley and fields with grazing sheep. Quickly we fell under the mountain’s
shadow, so the pair of gloves of neglected to bring were definitely necessary.
The trees along the trail were so glorious, as many were covered in bright yellow lichen. These trees arched over and around the path,
creating such an eerie feeling. Even more exciting, though, were the
precarious, winding paths that led off of the hiking trail. And what did these
paths lead to? The caves of the gypsies! Granada is extremely well-known for
the enormous number of caves located in the neighboring mountains, particularly
because gypsies have refurbished (added doors, windows, drapes, wifi, etc.) the
rocky dwellings to make temporary or permanent homes. Some of the caves are
actually located in the heart of the Albayzin and host flamenco shows in the
evenings. These off our trail, though, were so far from anything like an established
neighborhood. Old metal chairs and cushions littered the ground outside many of
the caves. Each, though, was decorated in a colorful and unique fashion. They’re
homes, after all!
Eventually, the trail began to split of every so often, so
with our masterful choosing and senses of direction, we hit a dead end. In my
opinion, it was a dead end only in the very most technical sense. By this
point, we were high enough on the mountain that the trees had dispersed and
only sparse shrubbery surrounded us. So close to the top! Why stop? Onward it
was! Only one friend joined me on the continuation of the journey. The grade
was steep (possibly why the trail ended), so we simply crawled up along the
grass and rocks… and widespread thickets of thorns! Again, that neglected pair
of gloves…
No, we never did quite make it to the top, as it was taking
longer than we anticipated (as do all great climbs), so we traversed the
mountain and found a trail leading down to a bike path that wrapped around the
mountain. There, we ran into some of our hiking crew who too decided to venture
off with adventure in mind. After rounding a few corners and almost being
obliterated by speeding cyclists, seeing a hint of the sunset, and crossing a
few very incredibly ancient aqueducts, we proceeded back to home base.
That mountain peak will be reached another day, of course.
Of this I am certain.
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