18.3. Granada

We leave the region of Murcia and head southwest towards the mountainous inland. As we cross the border into Andalusia, we still can't find the white Andalusian villages (that you see on postcards). Instead, we pass through the Sierre de Huerto, a deserted area in the middle of nowhere. The landscape is stunning but barren, and the temperature drops to 7 degrees, so we decide not to go to the originally planned mountain campsite, but to keep moving (all winter clothes have long been packed) :-). The blooming fruit trees everywhere next to the only road in this huge valley plain, and then the snow-covered mountains, are impressive. We drive through almost empty villages and keep discovering abandoned 'apartments' carved into the mountains with their outstanding chimneys. In these quaint 'caves', the tradition of flamenco was born. They protected from the cold in winter and from the burning heat in summer, although we didn't encounter such heat here. So we continued to Granada. - a lively city in the Spanish hinterland, where the guitar was invented. We only spent one night here and just explored the outskirts of the city. There was a small medieval market with fantastic spices and delicacies to see. In the morning, we headed back through the 'Sierra Nevada' towards the sea, where it is expected to be warmer soon.