Almuñecar y Nerja
Yesterday was our first program excursion - to the tropical coast of Spain! One of the things I was most looking forward to before coming here was seeing the Mediterranean Sea for the first time, and spending some time in clear and warm water that can't kill you as easily as the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon Coast. This excursion was the first of many that we'll take throughout the semester, and was modeled to be connected to what we've been learning in our culture class. It was also incredibly fun, and will probably go down as one of my favorite memories from the semester.
We visited two coastal towns during this excursion: Almuñecar and Nerja. Both are about a 45-minute drive from Granada, through the mountains and tiny hillside towns. Alumñecar is an incredibly old city that today serves as a popular destination for tourists, probably because of the picturesque views and beautiful beaches. We filed out of the bus and headed for some archeological ruins in the center of the town, and then climbed a very tall hill to get to the Castle of Saint Miguel, which has been converted into a small museum that you can explore.
Like many towns in Spain, Almuñecar was settled and used by many of the groups that gained control over the region during the past several thousand years, and you can see evidence of these different groups in the archeological ruins. The Phoenicians were the first to colonize the city, naming it Sexi, and were followed by the Romans, the Visigoths and the Arabs. Most of these groups used the Castle of Saint Miguel at one time or another, so there is evidence of Roman baths, mosques and aqueducts all in one area.
Almuñecar was originally a commercial fishing port for Southern Spain, and the fishing and salt-curing industry flourished for centuries. Since the climate is subtropical, there are also avocados, mangos, papayas and figs growing in the region.
I don't want to say that it was the best beach experience I've ever had, since that would be offensive to both the Newport beaches and the Rhode Island beaches, but it was pretty amazing. Now that it's September the temperatures are supposed to be lowering a little (to, you know, what would be considered a warm summer day on the Oregon Coast), so I'm glad we had the chance to visit the Mediterranean while it was still peak swimming season.
Now we're back in Granada and starting to actually get down to business. Tomorrow I have to take a test that will determine what level of the month-long Spanish intensive I should be in, and by the next week the kids in the house will be heading back to school, so life won't be as relaxed anymore. So wish us luck!
Nos vemos,
Sophie
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| The tropical coast of Spain is humid, hot and filled with palm trees. |
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| We saw lots of small cats roaming around the town, but they didn't pose well for my photos. |
Like many towns in Spain, Almuñecar was settled and used by many of the groups that gained control over the region during the past several thousand years, and you can see evidence of these different groups in the archeological ruins. The Phoenicians were the first to colonize the city, naming it Sexi, and were followed by the Romans, the Visigoths and the Arabs. Most of these groups used the Castle of Saint Miguel at one time or another, so there is evidence of Roman baths, mosques and aqueducts all in one area.
Almuñecar was originally a commercial fishing port for Southern Spain, and the fishing and salt-curing industry flourished for centuries. Since the climate is subtropical, there are also avocados, mangos, papayas and figs growing in the region.
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| The view from the castle. |
After Almuñecar, we climbed back onto the bus and drove about 15 minutes to get to Nerja, another popular beach town on the Spanish coast. Our first stop was the Nerja Caves, which have existed for millions of years and are another important tourist attraction in Southern Spain. It's a giant cavern (we were in there for 45 minutes and only saw a very small portion) that's used for archeological excavation, guided tours and even concerts, since it's a natural ampitheater. Since the caves were discovered in 1959, explorers have found skeletons and cave paintings that indicate that humans lived there as early as 25,000 BCE. We went into the caves with a tour guide who was obviously very knowledgeable about the area but for some reason thought we were all native Spanish speakers and spoke verryyy fast. It was a little frustrating not being able to understand her, especially since I have to do an assignment based on the experience, but luckily there's a lot of information online.
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| I didn't take any pictures in the cave because it was super dark, so here's one from the Internet. |
We had lunch at a restaurant at the caves, and then headed for la playa! Since it was a hot summer day and Nerja is a popular destination, it was flooded with beachgoers and other tourists, so as American college students we fit right in. The water was incredibly blue and clear, and much warmer than any ocean I've been in recently, and it was so salty that you could easily float without having to work too hard. We were also surrounded by topless women of all ages and little boys jumping off of dangerously-high rocks.
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Exploring the rocky areas between beaches.
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I don't want to say that it was the best beach experience I've ever had, since that would be offensive to both the Newport beaches and the Rhode Island beaches, but it was pretty amazing. Now that it's September the temperatures are supposed to be lowering a little (to, you know, what would be considered a warm summer day on the Oregon Coast), so I'm glad we had the chance to visit the Mediterranean while it was still peak swimming season.
Now we're back in Granada and starting to actually get down to business. Tomorrow I have to take a test that will determine what level of the month-long Spanish intensive I should be in, and by the next week the kids in the house will be heading back to school, so life won't be as relaxed anymore. So wish us luck!
Nos vemos,
Sophie
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