November

2007

 
 November 4, 2007

Heading west out of Almerimar on the bike path.

A few days ago we were feeling a bit captive and decided to make a break for it, leave the marina and resort, and do some exploring. We hopped on our Di Blasi fold-up bikes and headed west along the boardwalk. It ended after a couple of kilometers but a different one started up again after a quick detour onto the beach. (These bikes suck in sand!) We rode until it ended, past dozens of people kite surfing and wind surfing. It was blowing pretty nicely and they looked to be having a great time. Several people, probably students, were on shore practicing with the kites. I imagine that's a good way to get the feel for them before having to deal with the board as well. We watched for a while then continued our ride. The path ran into a road which we followed along the coast. A sign pointing to what we thought were Roman ruins (there are a lot of those in Spain) caught our attention and we went in search for them.

Seeing an old looking building on a hill, we rode up to it thinking we'd found the ruins. Built in the 1800s it was not a Roman ruin but looked interesting just the same. A sign said it was a castillo (castle) but it looked more like a fortress. The sign said it is a museum, Guardias Viejas, and a guard invited us to have a look around. It was free so why not. It housed an interesting gun collection and soldiers' uniforms from long ago.

Jim on his bike in front of the fortress.

Katie on top of the fortress. What a gorgeous view!

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Looking west from the fortress.

There was a lovely view of the coastline from the fortress. To the west the coast is undeveloped for many kilometers.

To the east lies the resort of Almerimar. From this viewpoint as well as from the sea, it looks like so many other developments along the Costa del Sol. Big white blocks of apartments right at the waters edge. Not a pretty sight. It is the beginning of November and the daytime temperatures are right around 20 C (68F) so it is understandable why these resorts are so popular. Northern Europeans and British flock to them.

Looking east from the fortress, over some greenhouses. Almerimar is on the other side of the bay.

Much of the produce found in European markets is grown here in Andalucia. The soil is fertile and the climate is ideal. Greenhouses blanket the land between the coast and the mountains. Andalucia used to be the poorest region in Spain but these greenhouses, along with tourism, have helped stimulate their economy tremendously.

Go to November Part Two