All the villages in the Alpujarras are located in the valley and that makes two things certain: one is that every day walking starts with a steep climb and the second is that every day also ends with a steep descent, and in between, all day, the path moves continuously up and down. Walking there for ten hours a day is really hard work but it is worth every drop of sweat as the scenery is absolutely fabulous in whatever direction you look.
Below is the astoundingly beautiful valley and to the north the mighty Sierra Nevada where the glaciers is coming closer and closer for every step.
At noon I walked into Trevélez that was a busy little place with quite a lot of tourists moving around. A popular item to bring home from Spain is a leg of cured ham, jamón curado, and in many places in the country they argue that the original and best ham comes from their village, and Trevélez is no exception, big signs explain that it this is the home of ham 🙂
Later on in the afternoon I got a bit lost when the GPS track disappeared into nothing and the guide-book led me into a very dangerous, eroded area with steep slopes covered in loose, sliding dirt. I managed to find a relatively safe path but I had to crawl to keep myself from sliding back down.
Just half an hour before sunset I reached Cádiar and the Cádi bar which was full of happy people. The cup finals featuring Real Madrid and Átletico Madrid was on. The bar had rooms to let and a pizza oven so I ordered pizza that showed itself to be big enough for a small family. I couldn’t eat all that but the waiter swiftly put the leftovers in a pizza carton and gave it to me for future needs.
