Capileira

Day 213, Saturday 04 August 2012 – Capileira

I did not rush out of bed this morning, my day has me checking out at some time after ten and then catching a bus to the bus station for my next stop, Capileira. Once up I finally found what I have been looking for for days – breakfast. I had some great bacon and eggs and a pretty good coffee, all for 6 euros as well. Shame it had to be last day !

With the great breakfast under (soon to be hanging over ) my belt fortune was obviously smiling on me as the local bus arrived as soon as I got to the bus stop near the hotel. The bus took a very round about route to the bus station, but I was so early I did not mind. Even though it is after 10 am on a Saturday morning so much of Granada appears to be closed. I was again lucky at the bus station as I easily managed to work out how to use the ticket machine and it is a cheap ride to Capileira, 2.5 hours and 5.59 Euros ! Awesome.

Capiliera is a small village in the Sierra Nevadas, it is a tourist town with summer walking and winter ski-ing. The village is ancient, and has seen people living here for many centuries, Goths (not my sort obviously – too hot for all that black) , then Moors until 1528 when the Catholic Spanish took over. I am going there to do a bit of walking and see some of Andalucia’s famous white villages.

Once off the highway the road up to the villages is narrow and twisty and goes up and up, Capiliera itself is at 1500 metres. The bus stopped at numerous small towns – all unrelentingly gorgeous and I could not wait to get to my destination for a look see.

The town of Pampeneira, just down the hill from Capileira.

The bus delivered me at 2:30 and I found my wee hotel by a stroke of good fortune – I saw a van with its name parked outside:) Unlike the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia that are significantly cooler than the coast, the Sierra Nevada’s are hotter than the coast, I had read it but wow, quite a difference, even from Granada – I was glad I found my room quickly – not that there is air con or a fan, but there is a window and a good bar downstairs and it was cooler than the street.

For lunch I finally, finally, managed to get Paella ! I have been wanting one since arriving in Spain, but always seem to be at the wrong time, or the wrong day, or as I found last night in Granada – one person short of the two minimum. It was great, the calamari was delicious and ate all the mussels and everything else – very unusual as I am not a big seafood eater. I ate lunch sitting on a street side table jealously watching as loads of mountain bikers went past after coming off the mountain, I was hoping to get a bike tour but there is nothing in this town, I perhaps should have gone to one of the bigger centres. But still great to see such a fantastic sport is well patronised here.

After lunch and a wee lie down, I went for a walk around the village and snapped a few photos – and as I said above, just unrelentingly gorgeous !

The flat roof houses are known as Terroos and are one of three distinct types of house style.

Naturally the museum was closed…

as was the church.

Capileira is blessed with a fresh water spring that flows through the town – possibly why it is here ? but there are water fountains all over – the water from this was surprisingly cold.

As the sun was dropping behind the opposing ridge I went for a wee look above the town, up the trail I would be walking in the morning.

According to Spanish TV, there is only one country competing in the Olympics ! Though it appears i am missing some of the events I wanted to see…

I have to get used to the Spanish not using i before e, it is hard to change a life times spelling !