#57 Visiting the only semi-desert in Europe

January 21, 2022: Tabernas

J. We bought the book "100 Highlights of Wild Europe" specifically for our trip to have a nature-focused alternative to the classic Lonely Planet guidebook. However, none of the 100 highlights have been on our way so far. But now we want to visit the 12,000-hectare Desierto de Tabernas. According to our book, it is "the only desert area on the European continent. The landscape and climate here are overwhelmingly beautiful but inhospitable at the same time." And that's exactly how it was. The rough, jagged mountains looked extremely inhospitable but also very impressive, with only a few low bushes growing here. The landscape can be imagined like in a movie about the Wild West, for example, like in "Once Upon a Time in the West", "Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra", or "Blazing Saddles".

Why exactly these movies? Because, like many other Western movies, they were shot right here. In the semi-desert, there are three Western towns with wooden houses and worn-out signs that resemble the USA more than a Spanish desert. But what do I know about the USA. I only know the country from movies, and obviously, some of them were also shot here. The Western towns are, of course, not real towns but film sets that have now been converted into amusement parks (at least one is still used as a film set) and bear names like "Fort Bravo Texas Hollywood" or "Mini Hollywood".

Not only film crews from Western and other movies use the sunny, vast emptiness of the Desierto de Tabernas, but also a research team for renewable energy. So we also passed by the "largest European Center for Research and Development of Concentrated Solar Energy" and admired the various equipment through the fence.

Day 98 - Total tour 6,209 km

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