senderismo sierra nevada part 2: monachil

A beautiful day of hiking near Pueblo Monachil.
The Route: Monachil - Puente colgante - Tunel de las Palomas - Acequia de los Habices - Monachil

Full set of photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/maikanicholson/Monachil?feat=directlink

senderismo sierra nevada - part 1: vereda de la estrella

In search of the Cueva Secreta

The trip started out brilliantly (albeit a little on the late side) on a sunny Thursday afternoon. We caught a bus from Granada to Pueblo Guejar Sierra with delicious sandwiches in our bellies (thank you Jinse) and a spring in our step.

Below - Guejar Sierra on the right,reservoir of Rio Genil in the background. The reservoir supplies drinking water to Granada.

From town, we had to walk on a country road for about 5km to the Vereda de la Estrella trailhead. We promptly ran into our first roadblock - more specifically - a section of road that had been washed out by a mudslide. We asked the construction workers if we could pass and they said - NO - the road is CLOSED. So we asked, with friendly smiles on our faces, are you sure? There's no way around by foot? - Pause -...oh hum, ok... you can walk around and use our construction bridge to cross. Apparently walking through construction sites is OK in Spain.

Below - rebuilding the road. Record rainfall this year in Granada has caused many problems with mudslides in the area

And fences? they're just to keep the goats off the trail, right?

Success! We've made it through to the trailhead

Abandoned mining camps - now being restored as refugios (we think)

We were aiming for the Cueva Secreta as an end point to Day 1, but at 8:30pm we were still had a ways to go. We decided to set up camp in a nice level area - a helicopter landing pad for emergency evacuation! We set up a fire pit, gathered wood & prepared a delicious dinner of Copos de Quinoa with Cranberries, Cashews, Mint, Cilantro & Parsley. Camping gourmet!

Above - setting up camp!

Below - the gorgeous view from our campsite

At 3am, we woke up to the drumming of raindrops on the rainfly - so loud and steady it was difficult to sleep. When we woke up, the rain had abated enough to make breakfast & prepare for day 2. Just as we were finishing breakfast, the drizzle turned to buckets & we ran for shelter into an old mine tunnel nearby. About 5 minutes walking from our campsite, we encountered our last roadblock, an impassable waterfall - our decision was made for us - time to head back to Guejar Sierra.

No podemos pasar - sigh - didn't make it to the Cueva Secreta this time around.

Bad weather rolling in...

Back in town. filling our water bottles with fresh mountain spring water.

Of course, it turns into a beautiful day in the afternoon - we sat on a Terraza, wishing we were still in the Mountains!

Lovely Lisboa

I ♥ Lisboa

I ♥ Lisboa

I ♥ Lisboa

I ♥ Lisboa

view of the city from Castelo Sao Jorge

Archaelogic record shows signs that humans have occupied the site of Catelo Sao Jorge (at the highest point of the highest hill in Lisbon) since the 6th Century BC - Indigenous Celtic tribes, greeks, phoenicians, carthaginians and later romans, moors, etc. The castle & city of Lisbon was won over by the Christians in the mid 12th Centruy during the Seige of Lisbon.

A popular spot!

@ Castelo Sao Jorge with my new Living Lounge friends (an international crowd - US, germany, finland & switzerland)

a view of the City, with 25 de Abril bridge in the background - often compared to the Golden Gate Bridge due to it's similar hue and suspension construction. It's the 21st longest suspension bridge in the world.

{#1. Ashaki Kaikyo Bridge (Japan)6,529-ft #9. Golden Gate Bridge 4,200-ft #21 25 de Abril Bridge 3,323-ft}

A perfect blue sky & cherry Blossoms @ Monestary Sao Vicente de Fora

A tram in the historic Alfama district

The nicest hostel I've ever stayed in: The Living Lounge hostel, Baixa-Chiado neighborhood in central lisbon

Each room was designed by a local artist - above, my room w/ Swiss roommates Selene & Livia

Each night, the hostel's chef served up a 3 course feast for the low low price of 8 euro. It was a good way to meet fellow travelers, and some locals too!

Style & Comfort

a very feliz cumpleanos

A lovely evening with friends, old & new @ my piso. Thanks to Jenny (x2), Amy, Jinse, Leila, Mariana, Rachel, Katy, & fellow bday girl Carrie!

The Menu:

Chips & Guacamole

Mache Salad with Avocado, Cashews & Cherry Tomatoes

Coconut Curry Pink Lentil & Vegetable Stew

Basmati Rice

Sun-dried Tomato Hummus

Gluten Free, Agave Sweetened Zucchini, Apple, Sweet Potato, Coconut & Cinnamon Cake with Walnuts

Azulejos

Azulejos are the ornate & colorful tiles that adorn many of the facades and interiors buildings throughout Lisbon & are a cornerstone of Portuguese architecture. The tiles were introduced by the Moors in the 15th Century & the name Azulejo is derived from the arabic word Zelije meaning "polished stone."

This is just a sampling of the stunning array of tiles I saw while wandering the streets of Lisbon. Que bonito!

Here's a really nice website with history, styles & influences of the Azuluejos in Portugal http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/azulejos/eng/index.html

Portugal Part 1: The Algarve & stalking the locals in Portimao

Fleeing the semana santa procession gridlock in Granada, we (Maika, Jenny (canadian), Carrie) hopped in our wee rental car packed to the brim with beach gear and snacks. Our first stop was Faro - in the Algarve region of Portugal - where we picked up Jenny (english jenny) who was arriving by plane from the UK.

We drove by Faro's main church no less than 25 times while searching for our hotel in the labyrinthine network of one way streets. Inside this church is the Capela de Ossos - a chapel lined with the bones of monks. The chapel was built around 1816 & it's construction displaced a cemetery where hundreds of their earlier brethren lay buried, so the bones were salvaged and recycled into this somewhat bizarre reminder of mortality

Faro seemed very depressed (lots of abandoned buildings) & was very quiet, but the old town had few nice spots & also and some colorful murals!

After Faro, we headed to Portimao, further to the west in the Algarve. Portimao is a big resort town full of huge blocks of touristic apartments, resort hotels and beach houses. During the summer high season, the resorts & beaches are reputedly packed but luckily we were there in off-season and things were relatively serene.

We stayed in the 'Estrela do Vau' apartments,above, which had the feel of faded/outdated grandeur & was painted an appropriately easter colored pale pink. It was clean, comfortable & cheap and served as a good base to explore from.

Below, Portimao's harbour at the entrance to the City.

Our first night in Portimao we went in search of a quiet local bar - away from the main boardwalk (a clear overpriced tourist trap & discoteca haven). We once again found ourselves driving in circles in old-town portimao. There was hardly soul to be seen, nor any sign of a bar. When we were about to give up, we saw two young, hipster-looking guys walking down the Street. They said they were going to a bar, so we followed them & discovered the "true" Portimao hang-outs (ie we were the only non-portuguese in the bar).

here we are stalking the Portimao locals in our mini-car

Jenny (canadian) and Carrie w/weird portuguese man loitering in background

This guy was a harley enthusiast & world traveler. He told us many amusing tales of his adventures after quitting his job in the banking industry while continuously downing shots of some unidentified potent alcohol.

The next day, we had a wonderful time on the beach outside of Portimao - we went running, played frisbee & did yoga in the sand. The beaches outside of Portimao had really stunning rock formations and caves.

Me & Jenny hanging out on the beach.

One of the many beautiful beaches

The next night, as recommended by our new friends from the bar, we went to the restaurant Pote Cheio and enjoyed a desert platter with traditional Portuguese sweets and a local bottle of wine. The Portuguese really know how to make sweets - in the Algarve they're famous for their marzipan sweets. yum.

Apparently the restaurant is a favorite among the locals & we ran into the same guys who pointed us in the direction of the bar the previous night. At this point, they seemed to think we were stalking them around Portimao & appeared very determined to ignore our presence completely (pesky american tourists!).

Afterwards, once again on recommendation from our friend the waiter, we headed to a live music bar that had a fun funk/cover band. I think we found the best spots in the not terribly exciting city of Portimao!

Jenny, Jenny & Carrie had to head back to Granada the next day, but I decided to take a bus up to Lisbon & explore Portugal a bit more. It was a good choice....

to....be....continued