Estepona to Granada
Trip Start
Jan 20, 2009
1
5
11
Trip End
Jan 30, 2009
Granada,
Spain
Saturday, January 24, 2009
The first part of our drive was along the coast - we decided to take the toll road, under consideration of time. Zipped along with no problems, no slowing, through the tunnels and around the hills of southern Spain. We paused briefly once to buy petrol, but that was it. We were amazed, yet again, at the amount of construction along the coast - and wondered, one more time, if, in this period of intense worldwide recession, they could possibly find enough people with disposable cash to purchase all the new units, most of which were, clearly, meant as resort locations.
At Almunecar, we pulled off the road to go visit the beach and see the castle on the hill. It was windy, but still sunny. We walked along the very pebbly beach, taking photos of the fishing boats along the sand. I was surprised (not quite sure why, other than I continue to read about how Spain likes to deny her Moorish past) to discover a large statue of Abd Al Rahman, last of the Umayyad dynasty, on the rock promontory - the sign told the story of his arrival and the establishment of the Caliphate of Cordoba. He faces inland, instead of towards the sea - very symbolic, I'm sure.
We walked along the promenade for a ways, looking at the deterioration of the seaside flats and wondering how much people just moved east or west down the beach, to newly constructed buildings. We peered inside the botanical gardens, at the very talkative parrots inside. We then returned to the car, to see if we could figure out how to drive to the castle ... Mum being wary of the hike. I wend my ways through the streets until we found parking at the base of the hill ... I parked, and we began to walk. Part way up, however, we decided to send Pas back for the car, to see if we could park closer. He and Mum drove up together, and, indeed, were able to park close to the castle. The road makes an oval at the top of the hill, providing access for the few apartment blocks up there. The castle was closed for siesta, but we still had fun exploring the perimeter.
It was after 3pm, so we decided it was definitely time to head towards Granada. The new highway that leads from the coast to the inland is partially constructed - it will be quite the road once done - but, at some point, the new construction ends, and one needs to backtrack a ways to reach the old road (which is not all that small, narrow, windy or shabby...must be EU funds). We had good views of the snows of the Sierra Nevada, which was nice, as well as of the marble quarries, which was less nice.
Drove around Granada a bit, looking for our hotel. Mum eventually spotted it, and we parked for the night. The hotel is rated four stars, but I would give it three plus at best. Great location, however (which is why I selected it). We dropped our bags, then went for a walk through the central shopping district.
Mum was exhausted, so we found a restaurant with a 12 hour kitchen on the main square and ate dinner (since we had not had a mid-day meal, we were hungry, anyway). The food was all fine - I had my tortilla espanola, which made me happy - but the potatoes au gratin were the rave of the night. Delish!
Walked back through the crowded streets, admiring the well-lit fountains. Had a bath in the very brown water upon our return to the hotel - I decided it must be high mineral content and therefore therapeutic. Then, to bed, as we have an early morning tomorrow. I hope Mum sleeps.
