Welcome to Las Alpujarras!
For my second official trip with CEGRÍ, half of my program had the chance to go to Las Alpujarras. Alpujarras is the name for an area in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. There are many different changes in the climate in Alpujarras. Up in the highest peaks, there is snow year-round. As you descend, the area gets very dry and desert-like. Only 45 kilometers from the tallest peak is the Mediterranean Sea. The moisture from the Sea makes the plant life completely different in the parts of the mountains that are just a few kilometers from it. A lot of people love this region because they say that you can "ski and surf" in the same weekend. It's definitely possible since the mountains are only an hour drive from the sea on Spain's southern coast.
Most of the time we were in Alpujarras, we were about 1.5 miles above sea level. We visited three villages that are part of Alpujarra Alta, or Tall/High Alpujarra. We began in the village of Pampaneira. Our hostel was located here and it was very nice. The next were Bubión and Capileira.
The funny thing about this trip is that I must have been completely sleeping when they explained the details. I was under the impression that we would be hiking and then camping out in the mountains. I was definitely up for it and had no problem with a weekend of "roughing it."
So, being the good camper that I am (thanks to the things my dad has taught me), I packed the perfect backpack. It had the bare essentials and probably weighed 4 pounds... max. After all, if I had to carry a backpack through the mountains for two whole days, who wants to bring extra stuff?
Well, it turns out that I was really wrong about a lot of it. First of all, we were staying at a hostel. Not camping out under the stars in the mountains (I was actually a little disappointed). Second, we didn't have to carry our clothes around the mountains; we could leave it at the hostel. We had dinner at a nice restaurant in Pampaneira and I had to wear my smelly, dirty gym shoes and my hiking clothes for the next day since I didn't bring anything else.
The lessons to take from this if you are going to Alpujarras:
1. Bring flip flops. Your feet will thank you.
2. Bring clothes for the restaurant. The waiters will thank you.
3. Bring a few Euros. There's a really good ice cream place called Abuela Ili and a lot of fun souvenir places.
4. Bring shampoo and body wash. They have a little in the hostel, but it's just body wash but you'll definitely want to wash your hair.
There were some things I was right about though! The hiking was not a little Girl Scout trip on a wide path around a forest preserve. This was hiking that was on narrow paths, over rivers, up steep hills, and on dirt roads that went over gorges with a straight drop down-- without any sort of guardrail.
It was awesome.
Starting Day 1 in Pampaneira. See that white building in the center of the photo in the distance? We'd eventually get there. The third village (Capileira) is the one beyond on the left-hand side of the photo.
Looking in the other direction as we ascended Pampaneira.
Getting closer to the church in Bubión!
Here!!!
The fountain in the Plaza of Bubión. The water is so cold and fresh here. You can drink from the fountains safely because the water is all naturally purified as snow melts and runs down the mountain. As it goes through the dirt and sand, it gets purified and picks up minerals. We were also given some chocolate at this pit stop. Since it's so hot and we were walking so much, we needed the sugar for energy.
More Bubión
Our second 15 minute break in Capileira. They were doing some construction at the time.
An art store in Capileira
¡Mujer fuerte! Climbin' mountains like it's nothing
Taking the long way back towards Bubión and eventually ending back in Pampaneira. This picture just gives a small idea of how sinuous and steep some of the paths are.
Stopping for lunch on a plateau. The views were incredible.
A little fun back at the Plaza of Bubión... Elyssa splashing Alia with some of the cold fountain water.
Our tour guide was so much fun. She spoke very clearly and slowly and explained Spanish words that she figured would be new to us. When we were ready to move on to Pampaneira, she wrote Vamos on the ground with her water bottle. Let's go!
Our delicious dinner from the hostel restaurant in Pampaneira. Mine was swordfish! Alia tried rabbit which came as a whole rabbit (brains and all) on her plate. Brave girl!!
Our director, Miguel Ángel, taking a big bite of sandía for dessert. He was so incredibly helpful on this trip. Not only are his multi-lingual skills amazing, he is very knowledgeable on everything about Alpujarras, the mountains, and Spain in general. He's a regular mountain climber himself and very well-known and respected by the locals in the villages.
The image below is a plate that hangs in the restaurant where we ate. It says, "Lo mejor de esta casa son los clientes." It directly translates to, "The best thing about this house is the clients." I thought it was really nice. Miguel Ángel also said it's a slightly nicer version of "The customer is always right," but sort of has the same idea.
Our amazing hostel!
Start of Day 2. Hola Caballos!
Una mariposa on my friend's water bottle
Just hanging out a little over a mile and a half high in the mountains. It's difficult to see in the photo, but there is a slightly different shade of blue over the mountains. That's the Mediterranean Sea. Just beyond that, you can see AFRICA.
The paths were a little wider here. Alia is carrying some bread for our picnic lunch. I had the other loaves in my backpack.
A failed attempt at capturing how steep the mountains dropped right next to the path
One of the steeper paths we encountered
The most difficult part of the climb. Elyssa and I actually ran up it and found that easier than trying to walk.
"¿Que puede más: le mente o el corazón? La respuesta es el corazón."
