I was up early and started out again on my trek southward. My goal today was to see one of the Pueblos Blancos, or white towns of southern Spain. They are known for their whitewashed walls and red or brown tiled roofs. I chose to go to the village of Salobrena, mostly because of its castle. As I drove to the village I could see the all-white town with its castle perched on the top of the hill from miles away.
I parked the campervan at a park, across from the local Guardia Civil station and thought that should be safe enough. I got my directions from the Google maps lady and set off for the castle. Or I should say up, it was very, very steep. I went up little streets, tiny passageways and kept climbing to the top of the hill. Finally, I found the last of the stairs and arrived at the base of the castle. The views of the town were fantastic. One problem though, there was no door, no stairs, no gates to actually get into the castle. I had been let down by the Google maps lady once again. Although to be fair, she's the only reason I ever find anything and I shouldn't expect her to have perfect walking directions every time. But I would rather she was wrong on flat land.
Abandoning my map, I set off for the other side of the castle. One side was definitely not the entrance as it was a massive cliff. I encountered a group of Italians who were also clearly lost, but we didn't join forces due to a slight language problem. I went up many passageways, and then back down them. I veered left, I veered right. Finally I thought I had found the right street, but came to a halt once again at a dead end. As I started to turn around again, a woman came out of the house at the top of the passage and told me that the way to the castle was on the next passage over. I actually got that through her articulate hand gestures, not the words. I gave her the best "Gracia!" I could manage.
Sure enough, one winding and steep passage over, I found the entrance to the castle. There was a man in the dungeon-like entry collecting an entry fee; I had to wonder how he managed the boredom and bleak little space he occupied. I wandered the old castle, up and down its ramparts admiring the architecture and the craftsmanship in the 1000 year old structure. The views of the old town were dramatic, and looking at the red and brown tiled roofs made me realize how integral those outdoor spaces were to their homes. Most of the houses are hundreds of years old, but they are still beautiful.
It was time to head back down, and I decided to abandon the Google maps lady and just keep heading down. Unfortunately for me, just because a passage goes down, does not mean that it won't go back up again. I really didn't mind though, it was nice exploring the flower filled stairs and pretty doorways. And I did kind of generally keep heading down, to the newer part of town. That part of town was also nice, full of sidewalk cafes and little plazas. I came across a small grocery store and decided to stock up on a few supplies like ice, water and soda. A minor mistake in that I didn't take into account how far I still had to go to get back to the campervan or the terrain I would be traversing on the way...
After carrying my bags of stones (that's what they felt like after a couple of blocks) back to the campervan, I headed south to the seaside town of La Herradura. I arrived mid-afternoon, and still had time for a little walk down the beach and some sun. A nice way to spend the afternoon. La Herradura was very nice, tons of places right on the seafront to eat. I chose a little Chinese place and had a pretty decent seafood soup with some egg rolls. And then I strolled happlily down the beach to end my day...
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