Atypical

This photo is extremely unrepresentative of the many photos I took today. But it's my favourite, so there. We decided to go on a little tour of the Alpujarras, along one side and back down the other. Setting off up the Lecrin valley our first stop was Torvizcon, where we hoped to refresh ourselves with coffee. However the only bar in the village was inaccessible due to a large hole being dug in the road immediately in front of the doorway.  As we arrived, a cowpoke on a horse was driving a herd of cows up a dry riverbed, every single one of them wearing a bell. We went for a wander round the steep streets, where I bagged several attractive windows.

Still hoping for refreshment, we carried on along about 20km of spectacular mountain road to Trevélez, a village famous for its ham. Puzzled at the lack of pigs, we discovered that the hams are in fact brought from elsewhere in Spain to benefit from the dry mountain air. The town is full of giant secaderos and, naturally, shops selling ham. It was lunchtime by now, so we headed for the most likely looking restaurant and set down in an almost empty room. Having ordered ham (of course) and salad to share, to be followed by grilled lamb chops and secreto iberico (Iberian pork), we reeled in shock at the massive salad and huge plate of ham that were delivered to the table. 

While we were eating, a coach stopped outside, and from being near-empty the room instantly filled up with a noisy crowd of 50 pensioners on a day out. The two waitresses went into overdrive. One of them whisked the unfinished plate of salad from the table, snatched S's plate while he was still eating, and put down two big plates of meat and three veg (this pushy service is a very common experience in Spanish restaurants, but it still bugs me every time!). We managed to hang onto the plate still containing a large quantity of expensive ham; I wrapped the ham up in a napkin and stuffed it in my handbag for later. We couldn't help admiring the efficiency with which the two women served three courses to the hungry crowd though; they were almost done by the time we were.

Once we'd got through most of our massive main courses we had some coffee and then went for a stroll around Trevélez to work some of it off. In the steepness stakes of white villages, Trevélez is very steep. It's wonderfully photogenic though, every dazzling white street ending in a view of snow-capped mountains against a brilliant blue sky. I took dozens of photos; S's choice of blip was this one, and other highlights are in this small album. Oh ... door envy, anyone?

We'd been driving around with an empty gas bottle in the boot, as the gas ran out (again) yesterday evening, and we'd been looking for a petrol station to buy a replacement. They are few and far between in the Alpujarras. When we arrived in Trevélez, there'd been a lorry load of gas bottles parked in the square with the driver off delivering somewhere, but it was gone by the time we finished lunch. Driving back towards Pampaneira, what should we see by the side of the road but the lorry parked in a layby and the driver swigging from a bottle of water. So S parked behind him and a deal was swiftly concluded, with the empty swapped for a full one. Handy!

It was another scenic, albeit more familiar, drive back from Pampaneira. Quite surreal to be driving along in a temperature of 16C with snow still lying in shady spots by the side of the road. Now snug and warm at home again, and about to finish off the ham along with our aperos. ¡ Salud !