Spain 2015 - Sierra Nevada and Gibraltar

Sierra Nevada, Granada Spain

I moved to the Costa del Sol for sunny weather and sandy beaches, but Spain was also the first place I ever went snowboarding. The nearby Sierra Nevada mountain range offers great winter sports, and hiking during the summer season. I spent five days in the Albergue Inturjoven, and started each day with a two hour introductory class. Within the first hour of the first class, a member of the group fell backwards onto the compacted snow with his arms outstretched hoping to break the fall. What he actually broke was his wrist! He had to be stretchered off the mountain by snowmobile. My attitude towards the sport became extremely cautious from then on, and I never did take it up as a regular hobby. Later in the year I visited Gibraltar. Ever since reading Laurie Lee's description of standing on the Rock and looking out at the continent of Africa, I'd wanted to do the same. After an English breakfast in the town (the first I'd had in some time), I set off map in hand to explore. I walked around for hours totally unable to get my bearings. When I eventually met another hiker and told him I couldn't locate the trails shown on my map, he explained they weren't trails but tunnels. No wonder I was so confused! Eventually I reached the Main Ridge and got the views I wanted, as well as seeing the famous macaques. I made my way back via the Mediterranean Steps and am sure the calories burned more than justified the Full English that had fuelled me through the day.

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