Skiing in Sierra Nevada to warm & sunny - Days 126 to 130

Bike ride in Castro del Rio

In splendid isolation (the van that is, not actually me) I slept, it was a joy. We got up, went cycling through the olive groves, with a bit more up than was expected as B refused to follow the road so kept us on some hilly track instead..... This did mean the lunch beer stop was more than justified. The first and nearest place to Ted we found was full of old men, all drinking little glasses of wine and eating tapas. We had two little glasses of beer, the first came with a lump of bread and cheese, they second with some very bony but tasty fish. I could have stayed all day drinking and nibbling. 

Beer and tapas in a bar in Castro del Rio after our bike ride

What are the rules? If they bring something you really don’t like, like hard boiled eggs, can you ask for something else? And how many drinks can you have before they repeat themselves? One day I’ll have to put it to the test.

Got back and did a full service without moving the van, the waste pipe and the hose pipe both stretching to their required positions, how lazy is that? (Aire location: 37°41'47.2"N 4°29'04.7"W) (Aire amenities with photos: click here, then item 53 in list). 

This little pussy cat didn't know we could see her through our door mirror!

Suppose we ought to decide where to go next? Skiing the Sierra Nevada still out? Yesterday when I looked there was an avalanche risk of 5/5 and the two areas of predominantly red runs were shut, along with the lift from the motorhome parking area. Today however, all change, pretty much everything open and an avalanche risk of 3/5. Right, sort out the ski gear then, outside in the sunshine.... Just finishing as another van turned up, an English couple, towing a car, fortunately still only two of us, so one socket each then.

Ready for skiing in Sierra Nevada

The drive round Granada wasn’t too bad, I had just built up in my mind a fear of ending up in the city, after our last visit in the car, but the ringroad worked fine, including filling with gas, who knows how much we might need? The 40 minute journey up the hill wasn’t too bad, though Ted did have to work quite hard. We arrived under a clear blue sky with an internal temperature of 24 degrees, no snow on the road or car park, and a huge empty space to pick from. 

Waiting for the first lift of the day to open

We could have gone amongst the cars, and been three minutes nearer the slope but what was the point? We had a fabulous view of the slopes, and the huge radio telescope panning it’s way across the sky, I don’t know why I found the fact that it was moving, in a seemingly random fashion so exciting, but I did. This was followed by the sunset and later on the piste bashers working their magic, very happy just to be there, €10 and no services but a legitimate park up five minutes from the lift, great. (Aire location: 37°05'56.5"N 3°23'35.5"W) (Aire amenities with photos: click here, then item 54 in list)

Sunrise over Sierra Nevada from Big Ted 

At the radio telescope in the Sierra Nevada ski resort

Next morning, an alarm, at 06.30, I hadn’t even bothered argue, there might be a queue at the ticket office, opening at 08.30. Not only wasn’t there a queue, there wasn’t anyone as we stood first in line, waiting for the shutter door to go up to be on the first lift at 09.00. It’s a very long time since we did that, but having spent €86 on lift passes, we had to make the most of it, and that was including a senior discount for himself. (She didn’t even ask for any proof of age, he grumbled.....)

Jackie just finishing one of the shorter black runs

Me 'n 'er skiing

Well groomed, but not the best we’ve ever seen, and slightly icy pistes were still a joy to ski on, two runs we managed with no one else’s tracks. We then headed off to the reds in the furthest area which sadly meant we hit the busy central area as the school kids had just arrived. Just pick another lift then, it doesn’t matter, they are all new to us. What it did mean was a long T-bar to get into the next Valley, but hey, I’ll cope, except we both missed the sign that said dismount here, I’d just commented we probably should have done as there were no other tracks, when the lift stopped and the man shouted from the hut at the top! We got the gist and carefully dismounted, how embarrassing....

Skiing into the 'experts only' area after our mistake on the 'T' bar

Pistes lit up for night skiing

A few more people, but some great runs, the day is passing, we’ll begin to head back. We shared a lift with two trendy 20 something borders, with their loud speaker, not pumping out techno, but 70’s disco, how very bizarre. We hit the blacks that we hadn’t realised were there at the perfect time, no one else on them and snow just softened enough. The best runs of the day by a long way. 

Looking down to Granada far below at dusk from our Aire

We weren’t on the last lift at 16.45 but we had only just opened our beer from the bar at our carpark when it stopped running so we got the most out of our passes, no aches or pains, but we were a bit tired. Some of this was the altitude, we’d spent the night at 2400m which is higher than anything in the Portes du Soleil where we have last recently skied, which is enough to make Brian feel under the weather. 50+km of skiing, a maximum speed of 77km/hr and 8 hours on the snow was enough for us so a good nights sleep before heading off.

Record of our days achievement

The motorhome that parked right next to us in an empty car park

It was a good nights sleep, after a van arrived, just about 22.00. I was most surprised to open the blinds and find them 50m away, I really thought they were so close we wouldn’t be able to open the door I commented. Then I opened the blind on the other side.... we’ve heard about this, but it’s the first time we’ve experienced the ‘close up’ school of parking! What the picture doesn’t show is the van that they were as close to on their other side who had already left when I took the picture!

The 'old moon in the new moons arms' as seen at Sierra Nevada

Arriving at the Aire in Alhama de Granada to see a market in progress

Alhama de Granada was our destination, 1 hr and 40 minutes away, all was fine once we’d got off the mountain and I’d unclenched my fingers from my thighs, until we “turned left before the zebra crossing and turn left into the Aire” simple instructions except when the market is in progress! After gulping slightly and realising there was no way into the Aire, was there any way out? 

Drying the ski gear in the sun after the market had finished and we could get into the Aire. All that gear (plus the climbing gear still in) fits into the open hatch of the ski locker you can see

Alhama de Granada old town

Into the other carpark then and we were lucky enough to find two spaces we could just about fit into. I spoke to the nice policeman and explained, he wasn’t bothered, so after a look round the market we went into town for bread or lunch whichever we found first. Lunch it was, and by the time we got back we could move into the prescribed area, out of the way, poor Ted, he’d felt a bit uncomfortable out on a limb. (Aire location: 37°00'20.0"N 3°59'15.0"W) (Aire amenities with photos: click here, then item 55 in list)

The spectacular gorge at Alhama de Granada

Buildings defying gravity in Alhama de Granada gorge

We got the ski gear out, to ensure it was dry before putting it away, had a little chat with the Russian on one side and the Welsh in a hired van on the other, can we be bothered to go to the thermal pools, which is what the town is famous for after all? No, but we should go and find the tourist information. So glad we did. She pointed us at the old town, and told us there would be a guided tour, in Spanish, tomorrow, but she’d give us all the information to read in English, and we would go into places you can’t go alone. Phew, the place has finally gone up in Brian’s estimation and we can stay.

In one of the two old Arabic grain store/dungeons (Mazmorras) on our guided tour in Alhama de Granada

Walking through the gorge

The Russians obviously had problems with their batteries, after all my worrying about Ted, he had to start the engine for half an hour a time about three times in the night. Apart from the fumes in the van this actually wasn’t a problem, though seemed to upset the Welsh couple who left before breakfast having seen nothing and thinking they would stay two days. They were shortly followed by the Russians, which was only to be expected as I’m sure he hoped to charge his battery.

We came across this little chapel in the cliff face...

View of the chapel through the bars

The tour was great, hadn’t realised it was our same lady, who did have very good English but couldn’t say everything in English, Spanish and French, but she had keys to the hospital, the cells and the church, all for €2. We had been approached by a man doing a free tour, with no English, no information and no keys, but are very pleased we did the one we did.

We came across a notice with this interesting story. Have a read. We found the stone mentioned.....

Here it is. I suppose they look a bit like horseshoe prints

The afternoon was the walk up the gorge which was spectacular, amazing natural scenery as well as disused flour mills to explore. We were worried by a man we could see at one point on the other side of the river, seemingly not knowing where he was, how he’d got there or how he was going to get out. We could see no path, he was doing a lot of head scratching and trying this and that before we lost him in the undergrowth. I was very pleased to see him, this side of the river, as we were walking back. I don’t know what nationality he was (Russian?) but I think his little English enabled him to understand how pleased I was to see him safe and sound.

So here's where his horse is supposed to have fallen over the cliff

Overhanging rock high up. I want to stand on that and look down!

Tomorrow we are going to walk to the thermal baths, I don’t expect we’ll go in them, but we ought to go and have a look, and then I’ve got a date with a plate of fried fish and a glass of dry white wine.... I saw it going past when we had lunch on Friday....

Same view of the overhanging rock from a distance

The ruins of the flour mills in the gorge. Disuse and the earthquake of 1884

The day almost didn’t work out as planned, it was jolly cold, and cloudy, (no solar for Ted then who only reached 99% yesterday in full sun, he only does it to irritate me). Bundled up, we walked to the pool, it was steaming, and full, we weren’t enticed. Back to the “interpretive centre” that we’d paid for yesterday in our walking tour ticket. Remarkably good. 
The sun was trying it’s best, we could sit outside, the fritura de pescado was just as good as it looked and we were helped to finish off by a very fussy cat who didn’t want tails, or prawn heads, but if there’s any real fish going, I’ll gladly help with that....

Sunday lunch Spanish style. The only thing missing were the Sunday newspapers!

The sad news to report is that ‘Uncle’ Michael died on Tuesday after going downhill ever since we left. We are just pleased we could share his 80th birthday with him, and that this is how we can remember him.