Day 6: Grenada through Sierra Nevada mountains to Lonjaron Spain

 Today was filled with towering, snowcapped mountains, twisty and curvy narrow mountain roads, gorgeous vistas - and rain. Despite the rain we had a glorious time riding a big loop around the Sierra Nevada that boasts the highest peak in continental Europe outside of the Alps - Mulhacen at 11,414'.

look closely at the snow on the middle mountain

It's Palm Sunday and there was very little car traffic, but we encountered several groups of cyclists climbing up as we rode out of Grenada.

It was a lot of fun leaning into the curving roads, and as we climbed there were more pine trees.

We passed a gorgeous mountain lake and periodically rode through a small town.

We started to see homes built into the sides of the mountains. Known as trogloditas, they look like a typical house from the front entrance, but then are entirely within the mountain. We were lucky enough to stop for a visit to the Cueva Museo, or cave museum, that encompasses a family home (Paco, the father, introduced us to his wife and 2 kids) as well as two older cave homes.

Paco explained that there are about 1000 cave homes in the Purullena town area, and that a cave house is just like any other house except the only windows are in the front entrance and there are no doors between rooms to maximize air flow (they hang ceiling to floor curtains in doorways for privacy). 

Families hand-dig their cave homes using shovels, smooth the inside clay walls and paint them white. According to Paco, the cave houses are watertight and maintain a consistent temperature of 17-19 degrees Centigrade; about 62-66 degrees Fahrenheit. People in this area have lived in cave houses for many generations. We climbed outside steps to cave houses on the second and third 'floors' and were rewarded with panoramic views of the town - and lots of cave houses.

We continued to gain elevation and not long after leaving the cave home museum the skies darkened and it started to rain, so we stopped to put on rain gear. We continued to climb over a high pass, but really couldn't see much due to the rain. Plus the temperature dropped to 40 degrees! 

After a few miles on twisty mountain roads the rain stopped, and we enjoyed lunch in a cafe in a small mountain town. During lunch the skies turned black again and we heard thunder, but by the time we started riding the thunder had stopped although it continued to rain off and on.

With just a few miles left to ride, the rain stopped and skies cleared so that we had wonderful views as we descended into Lonjaron, a beautiful town on a ridge with terraced homes and gardens.

This was the most technical riding day of the trip and we didn't let the rain put a damper on our enthusiasm for the fun, twisty roads through the Sierra Nevada mountains. Tomorrow we ride west and south as we begin to head back toward Lisbon. 

Portugal and Spain trip: day 5 in Granada

 We arrived  in Granada, Spain during rain yesterday, and put on our motorcycle rain gear this morning to walk around the Alhambra.

Granada sits at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains where 4 rivers converge, in an area conquered by Moors in the 11th through 15th centuries. The highlight is the Alhambra, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the only preserved city from the Muslim period in Spain. We spent almost 3 hours walking through the Alhambra, a military fortress strategically sited at the top of a large hill; a palace built by Charles V after the Christians reconquered the area in the 1500's, and gorgeous gardens that are part of the ancient city. 

interior of the Alhambra is covered in intricate mosaics, wood carvings, and plaster designs from the Muslim era

tall walls and towers are reminders that the Alhambra was originally a military fortress

After Christians retook Granada from the Muslims, Emperor Charles V built a new Renaissance palace in the early 1500's next to the Alhambra fortress

interior courtyard of the Charles V palace

view from one of the towers

view from the old Granada city center and Cathedral from the Alhambra tower

The gardens were started in the 13th century and continue to be planted today

In the late afternoon we were part of the Easter Week (tomorrow is Palm Sunday) crowds in central Granada and around the Cathedral.

Construction started on a cathedral built on the foundation of the original mosque in 1518 in the Spanish Renaissance style. Construction continued for 181 years due to wars and financial issues.

We then walked through the narrow streets of the old city, up and down staircases that reminded us of Lisbon, as we headed toward Mirador de San Nicolas to meet up with the tour group for dinner.

Mirador de San Nicolas is a spectacular viewpoint of the Alhambra from the Albaicin - the heart of the oldest parts of Granada. We joined the crowds of people waiting for a turn to stand at the very edge of the plaza's viewpoint to look out over the city onto the Alhambra backed by the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains on another high hill across from us.

It was a glorious way to end the day, and we're looking forward to getting back on the motorcycle tomorrow to ride through the Sierra Nevada mountains, heading further south into Spain.

Portugal and Spain trip day 4: Cordoba to Grenada

 We had time this morning to wander through the old city of Cordoba, getting slightly lost in the Jewish Quarter's narrow, winding streets - whatever did people do before GPS and Google Maps?

We also visited the Mosque-Cathedral located directly across from our hotel on a very narrow street. So narrow that the early morning food and beverage delivery vans blocked the sidewalk (itself barely wide enough for one person) and most of the street. 

The Mosque-Cathedral is built on a site of a Visigothic Christian basilica. The Muslims who conquered this area in the 8th century built the mosque in 785, and it was expanded throughout the years into the 19th century. It was converted to a cathedral in 1236 when Cordoba was captured by Christians and reconstruction continues today.

The outside walls are virtually unchanged, and the inside retains beautiful mosque features along with the Christian cathedral that was built in the middle of the mosque. Many of the inside walls are lined with ornately designed small chapels.

doors to the Christian part of the building

one of the small ornate chapels

We left Cordoba about noon, riding out of the city toward Grenada under cloudy skies that threatened rain.

Almost the entire 120 mile ride today was through rolling hills covered with olive trees.

We continue to see walled castles on top of several high hills, and stopped in one - Baena - for coffee. 

Uwe, our motorcycle group tour leader, is a pro at navigating his way through the narrow, winding, and often very steep streets of these small towns before we get back on the 2-lane paved highways that wind through the increasingly mountainous countryside.

We were amazed at the number of olive trees and olive oil production facilities we saw until we learned that Spain is the largest producer of olive oil in the world. Every lunch and dinner we've had so far in Spain includes small dishes of olives brought to the table for appetizers and a bottle of olive oil to sprinkle over the meal.

We've had just about perfect motorcycle riding weather with temperatures in the high 60's into the high 70's. Although the overcast skies today meant that we couldn't see the higher mountain peaks in the distance, we really enjoyed riding on the curving roads up and down the hills and valleys.

We stopped under a bridge right before lunch to put on raingear, and it continued to rain off and on until we reached Grenada. We're staying here for 2 nights so that we can explore the Alhambra, the largest political and aristocratic center in the western Muslim world in the 13th-15th centuries, and the old city center of town tomorrow.

Portugal/Spain trip day 3: from Monsaraz Portugal to Cordoba Spain

 Before we left the rustic inn with low doorways and stone floors, I took a few minutes to walk through the lush gardens with orange trees and a variety of flowers.

We could see Spain across the Ria Guadiana from our hotel in Monsaraz, and it wasn't long before we rode across the long bridge and entered Spain.

Once in Spain we rode on quiet, curving 2-lane roads through agricultural areas with sheep, pigs, goats and cows around just about every corner.

We stopped for a photo opportunity outside Jerez de los Caballeros where a Moorish wall with 6 gates surrounds the inner city. Fun fact I just learned writing this blog: the explorers de Soto (Yucatan Peninsula and South America)  and Balboa (first European to cross Panama from the Atlantic to the Pacific) are both from this town.

A short ride later we stopped in Fregenal de la Sierra for coffee, and were pleasantly surprised to see several stork nests on the towers of the Templar castle, and storks flying overhead.

riding into town through narrow, brick-lined streets

look closely to see the storks!

Celtic ruins have been found in the town area, and the Muslims controlled much of Spain until the late 1200's when the Templar Knights took back this town. 

We went into the castle built in the mid-13th century, and walked around the top of the walls surrounding the bullring (added in the 18th century) in the center of the compound.

We had amazing views of the tiled roofs in the town from the castle walls.

Today's ride was about 200 miles, so we stopped for a quick lunch and then continued on a busier 2-lane highway up and down through low mountains. We passed larger agricultural areas that reminded us of the large farms in rolling hills of western New York state - complete with a big John Deere tractor store.

Riding into busy Cordoba, a city of about 322,000 people, was a bit challenging, especially with many tourists here for the upcoming Easter holiday. As we turned into the historic part of town, we rode down narrow, brick paved streets filled with people. Our hotel is directly across from the Great Mosque and a short walk to the Roman bridge across the river so after dinner (at 8:30pm which is early for the Spanish but late for us) we visited both.

Tomorrow morning our motorcycle group is visiting the inside of the Great Mosque before we get on the motorcycles to ride a couple of hours to Granada. We're looking forward to seeing more of Spain over the next few days.