Provence, Tuscany.............and the Alpujarra?

Ok, ok, I admit that I have never actually been to Provence, and I have only visited a couple of places in Tuscany, but that does not stop me having an opinion on the subject, namely that the Alpujarra deserves to rank up there with Provence and Tuscany.

I am guessing that most people (like me until I joined Zack on a visit to Granada in February this year) have never heard of the Alpujarra.

Here is a map of the region with where we are staying highlighted in red.

You will need to change the zoom on your web page to make head or tail of the map, but basically the Alpujarra is south east of Granada and on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada.

The geography and history of this region combine to create something that is like nothing I have ever experienced.

Geography:  Desert, Mountains and Snow

The first clue to understanding the region is that it is located in an area that would be almost desert were it not for the mountainous terrain.

Indeed all of Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Westerns were shot in Europe's only desert some 30 kilometres east of here:

The nearby Sierra Nevada mountain range has mountains higher than the Pyrenees.  In fact the peaks are the highest in Europe outside of the Alps.  

These mountains capture moisture from the Atlantic winds in the form of snow.  Like Whistler, you can ski and swim in the ocean on the same day - the only difference is that in June in the Mediterranean, you can do so without a wetsuit.

Here is a picture of the Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada mountains in the background.

It is the snow melt from the Sierra Nevada mountains that stops the region from looking like the set of a bad movie.

History:  The "other" Moorish Miracle

The Alhambra is the Moorish miracle that everyone has heard of.  The Moors took an exposed dry "plug" of land and built a palace that sheltered from the summer heat with gardens of fountains and pools.

Here are some photos from our visit:

The Alpujarras is the other Moorish Miracle. With hand tools the Moors achieved improbable feats of irrigation.  Their water channels (or "acequias") distributed the snow melt all along the mountain slopes thereby making an oasis out of a hot dry wilderness.

It is hard to go far without hearing the gurgling of one of their water courses.

There is not a hamlet or a village that does not owe its wash house and water fountain to the irrigation ditches dug by the Moors. 

Here is Michele trying her hand at washing the old fashioned way:



And here is the fountain in the village where we stayed last week:

The unique atmosphere of the Alpujarras

With its steep green hillsides and sparse population, the area at first reminded me of the Scottish Highlands, but then I thought of the perpetual sunshine and I realised that it was not a very accurate comparison!  In Scotland it is the rain that creates the breathtaking beauty.  In the Alpujarras, thanks to the Moors and their acequias, you can enjoy green mountain scenery without the usual rainy corollary.

Gerald Brennan in his classic book "South from Granada" alluded to the extraordinary stillness of the place.  He talked about a plume of smoke ascending vertically to the sky.

I myself have wondered at the fact that often the only sound I can hear is of a dog barking a mile away.  Yesterday, I was woken by the sound of fruit thumping to the ground.  

The region's few street lights are hung in delicate strands along the the hillside - like the more elaborate toy train sets of old.  With so little light pollution, the stars pop out at night.

With the mountains enclosing us on all sides, the the sunsets and sunrises seem to go on forever.

High up in the passes, the gaze switches from crumbling cortijos (cottages) to snowy peaks and soaring eagles.  The noises consist of dongling sheep bells and the rushing water of the acequias.  The predominant smells are the delicate scents of wild rosemary and thyme.

Down in the valleys the water courses coalesce and the noise is more intense.  In autumn you can admire the leaves changing color.  You can also make a great meal, just by picking the fruits and nuts left to rot on the ground such as figs and chestnuts.  In spring, you can wonder at the spectacular blossom of the almond trees.

The few people that live here, are to be found in lovely white villages hugging the slopes of the Sierra Nevada.

In England, as the damp dark days of winter begin to close in, people start to dream about the summer sunshine of the Luberon or Montepulciano.  

My question is why wait til summer? Why not jump on a cheap flight to Malaga and drive up to the sunny Alpujarra right now?