Competa April 27

 Today the plan had been to do one of two circular routes near Competa, but wiser now, having been up in them there hills and literlly knowing the lay of the land, I nixed that idea without any qualms and looked for something easier.  Success!  A Wikiloc walk had an easy—  3 1/2 hour walk, suitable for the whole family: 

that was seemed pretty much like a straight line to El Morche, a spot on the sea.  Great idea!  Walk there, take a taxi back, have plenty of time for housekeeping and such.

First hour or so, just fine.  Not exactly out in the country but pleasant with nice views and a kitten hiding under a motorcycle"

And a lot of low-cost advertising for places to stay:

Eventually, one was supposed to go off the pavement onto a dirt path to the left.  There was only one such possibility, but my devices were dinging and a voice like a whiney Alexa kept saying, “You are about the leave the route.  You have left the route.  The route is 50 feet behind you.”  This is not what you want to hear.  Besides, it uses up a lot of battery.  This path was behind a house, and I thought I heard a door open, so I rushed over and saw an elderly—yes, definitely older than me—lady in bathrobe and slippers.  She did not speak Spanish, but she did speak English (there are a lot of ex-pats here).  She told me that yes, that was the correct path— Well, how do you like that, OutdoorActive and GyPSy— but that she had never walked it. 

Oh, said, lady had beautiful flowers; she was, after all, British:

Feeling quite cheered, I started down the path, which very soon was no path at all, and I became quite nervous because it was a steep downhill, and the ground was loamy, and all of a sudden, I was in the middle of nowhere—it is amazing how quickly this can actually happen— and could not see what lay farther down.  So I turned back.  Coming in the other direction an elderly man out for a constitutional greeted me.  I asked him if he knew about that path.  He said it was impossible—something about a windstorm obliterating the path—and started going on about all manner of crazy ways I could accomplish what I wanted to do, other than walk on the highway, but that it would take over five hours, so I just walked back to Competa., whose streets are not paved with gold but are very pretty:

Second aborted walk.  

Competa to Sedella, April 26

 Guess what, everybody!  I have taken up the drink!  There is a little bottle of sherry in the room, so I decided to taste it; it is quite delicious!  A little poured into a glass of hot lemon water (what you drink when you don't have tea) is especially nice.

Usual beginning—I hope everyday will not be like this—left at 7:15, couldn't figure out the directions.  It took so long to get it right that the move ring on my watch closed!  A segment of the walk was gorgeous, along a river, but then the usual "Where the heck are you supposed to go?"  The instruction book, while well written in terms of its prose, is not adequate AT ALL.  I spent forever, going back and forth for quite some distances trying to figure out the turns and the crossing and  such.  And guess what (again)?  Sometimes "No:"

 

means "Yes."  That is because "my route" flirts with the GR 249, sometimes following it, sometimes not.

Again lots and lots of climbing.   This was one huge zig-zag (photo is just a segment) but at least you can't get lost doing it!

Maybe next time:

 

After passing this farmhouse (looking for a fixer upper?  Lots of privacy): 

that came complete with fiercely barking dogs, I realized that the nice road I was on was no longer the right road, so I searched and searched and finally found the long, steep, narrow trail (lots of those on this route), climbed the damn thing, only to discover that the topography at the top did not match the instructions.  Down again.  But there were three people on the road!  Ahoy, friends!  Two men and a woman were on a walking vacay in Spain, one of whom, Andrew, is very schooled in such issues—this means you know what you are doing consulting only a book and a map— although he confessed that yesterday he went many miles out of his way.  Andrew helped me find the trail, which was exactly where I thought it was but it veered to the left rather than going straight up.  So we climbed together a good distance.  We got to a road.  He told me to go left, which I did.  This had nothing at all to do with my GPS instructions or the book, but it was, again, fortunately, the GR 249, so it was marked. 

I never did get to Sedella, the intended end point, which was supposed to have been a 4 1/2 hour walk.  Instead I walked over 20 miles and ended up back in Competa.  But I did save a taxi fare as I am staying in Competa again tonight.

Frigiliana to Competa: April 25

What a day!  Left at 7:15, knowing there was a lot of hillage ahead—but even though the path passed directly in front of my hotel, I lost it in short order.  Guy Hunter-Watts, hereafter, Guy, wanted to keep the walk off asphalt as much as possible, so instead of beginning on the major, well-marked GR 249, he had an alternate route through some hills, which had no discernible path or markings.  I climbed and searched for the narrow, steep path for well over an hour, and then decided, "You know what, I am just going to do an out-and-back; take the GR 249 for 2-3 hours, and come back to Frigiliana.

Well, this necessitated a change in plan with Rojita, who was to go by taxi in the morning while I went on foot, but seeing as I was now planning to return to Frigiliana, I had to call the not-very-helpful hotelier to put a hold on this arrangement.  So, after 9:00, I set out on the GR 249, and what do you know?  It met up with the cockamamie path I could not find (the GPS tells all!)  After continuing for some time, I decided, "Hey, this isn't so bad, I bet I can make it all the way to Competa, which I did.  The walk was not technically difficult but HILLS, you wouldn't believe!  Up Up Up Up: 

short stretches of flat and then UP even higher!  So much climbing! 

The last wee bit was downhill and steep.  I arrived at 3:00, in less time than the instructions estimated. lt seems that all that persistent training has paid off. 

There were a few "sights, " for example, an olive grove:

and a couple of....steeds?

But why were they wearing their winter coats?

On arrival in Competa, called hotel in Frigiliana to have Rojita delivered. Finally after much drama—voices were raised— she was sent, and arrive she did!  Decision to take extra charging cables in pack very wise; useful while waiting. Also decision to use tracker: *****  It really works!  

GPS skills improving!  New model with longer battery life is fantastic; ditto for the new phone. 

Maro to Frigiliana April 24

 7:20 and on the way! 

It may seem that just a little over nine miles is not much of a hike, but this stretch, classified as "medium difficult," which it definitely was, has a time  estimate of five plus hours.  First part, although steadily uphill was not too difficult although part was paved or hard stone.  But wait, what is this?  

Max, could this footprint have belonged to one of our prehistoric ancestors?  What do you think?

All of a sudden the trail became narrow, twisty and very steep:   

There were four sequences of steep ups and downs, a fair amount of scrambling, many narrow twists and turns, and loose soil making every step—OK, every step for someone my age and with a knee to coddle, to be taken with care.  At one point, there is a big stream to cross. Here, being unable to find the crossing point, I lost almost an hour.  A cunning little bridge, partly broken and partly submerged, seemed the perfect place:

But IT WAS NOT! Because a sign like this:

said so!  So I hunted and hunted, never finding the purported stepping stones, so just crossed!  Amount of water in boots not too terrible.

Finally, after six hours, and after shlepping up a huge hill into Frigiliana, an adorable town, made way to lodgings.  Sign at the door instructed guest to consult e-mail, just sent, in order to get instructions on how to enter building.  "Tap the key pad, you may have to do this more than once (how right they were), then, when it lights up, type in this code..... and hit padlock."  OK. Next: "Your room is number 5.  There is a black box left of the door with the code....and in this box is the key."  (Also another set of instructions for the wi-fi.) Well, I couldn't figure out how to access the code needed to get into the room, so I phoned the guy, whom I could not really understand, and who had no intention of coming to help!  But I INSISTED.  And he came.  Anyway, despite the futuristic set-up of this place, it took said guy about 20 minutes to produce the bill, as papers flew willy-nilly out of his printer; also he is overcharging for having the suitcase delivered tomorrow.  Pero bien, people have to make a living.  At least after all that, the room is gorgeous, and I am thoroughly enjoying the ambiance and some relaxation after a beautiful first day.

Nerja, April 21+22+23

April 21: 7:15 taxi to Nerja to begin phase two of the adventure: pre-walk preparation.  Strapped on the backpack filled with all necessities; most important, the GPS on one side, phone on the other.  Both contain the same data—mostly—but there is nothing like a back-up.  This first training walk was to test the gear.  Zpacks pack gets *****  The pack is light, comfortable, and has pockets in all the right places.  It was worth every penny.  The real challenge was to get comfortable with the GPS and Outdoor Active (on the phone).  Not sure I have mastered either, but "progress is being made!"  The walk itself was not beautiful, but the weather was fine, some flowers added a cheerful touch: 

  At one point I espied a little park, which was inviting, but 

On my return I passed a tiny establishment wherein a man was cooking chickens.  They looked delicious.  "I will come back later," I said.  He nodded.  I did go back later, but all the chickens had been sold.  ¡Qué pena!  Had to make do with  much less appealing fare from the Mercadona (supermarket chain).

April 22: Forgot to set watch!  Woke up at the unspeakable hour of 7:30, the time I had planned to be out the door. Forty-five minutes later, I hit the road.  Main destination was Las Cuevas de Nerja, which are not actually in Nerja but in Maro. On the way, diverted to the beach, the official beginning of the Andalusian Coast to Coast walk: 

Nearby was a kitty atop a dumpster.  

The caves, compared to others I have visited, were surprisingly dry and not cold. Their most impressive feature is their enormity; they are HUGE:

What the tourist can see is all gray stone, quite dark, but if you search "Cuevas de Nerja images" you will photos all lit up and terrific looking!

 

April 23: Last day in Nerja, last day before the official start of THE walk, and first tough hike.  Tough in two ways: A huge up, a huge down, then repeated in the reverse direction.  Total distance was 14ish miles. Another difficult aspect was that but much of the walk was on pavement and thus utterly boring.  The prettiest parts were along the sea:

 

 and in the mountains:

 

The ugliest part:

But even though we build and build and then cry, "Climate Change," the beauty of nature will not be suppressed:

:

After these exertions, went in search of a large ice cream, then sat in the square, as people do, and, while savoring this luxurious blend of coffee and chocolate-flavored fat and sugar, worked on today's Spelling Bee.  A fitting finale!

Malaga, April 20

While most of the city still slept, I headed to the Central Market, another must-do.  Colorful it was, but other than the large bins of wonderful smelling spices, there was nothing terribly unusual about the offerings.  If one wanted fresh fish, however, there were many varieties on display.  (Photo not of fish!)

More wandering about until the Picasso Museum opened at 10:00.  I just love Picasso!  His early work (at least what was on display) is soft and captivating.  (¡Pero ojo! But beware: the posters in the gift shop are an abomination!) 

Picasso painted many heads (and busts) of women:

But He also painted some of men:

He liked animals, and always had a dog.  But this is not a dog:

I got a real kick out of this painting of Susannah and the Elders (see the two geezers peeking through the window?)  I never pictured Susannah quite this way, but then I am not Picasso:

Susannah is a story, a very short story, in the apocrypha, one of three about Daniel's wisdom. You can read it here: 

        <https://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/apo/sus001.htm> 

The museum had a display of "traditional" paintings paired with a Picasso.  If I knew how, I would put these following two next to each other, which is how they should be viewed:

Then off to the Museo Carmen Thyssen.  After the Picasso exhibit, the offerings failed to excite, though the museum itself was beautiful.  From there, a brief stop at the Museum of Musical Instruments, where there were, inter alia, many unusual strings and percussion.  Next stop the Museum of Glass and Crystal, which you can only view on a guided tour.  All those places, names, and dates of which one is informed, are utterly exhausting!  Since there was a lot of reflection, photos did not come out so well, but see the glass hand holding the glass goblet?

No introduction needed for this fellow:

BTW, did you know that Andy Warhol did some glass pieces?

After all these museums +some extra wandering, I was plum tuckered  out.  Walking back to hotel,  I thought it would be nice to have a visual token of remembrance of some of the street pavings in Malaga:

Oh, outside in the plaza some musicians are playing Despacito!  "Poquito poquito, suave suavecito......"

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJQP7kiw5Fk>

  

Malaga, April 19

Right near hotel, somewhat sad statue of Solomon Ibn Gabriol:    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_ibn_Gabirol  .

After contemplating this poet and philosopher and the past, I headed off to the must-see castle (aren't they all), a long uphill trek. Here is the view from a designated view-point!  I mean, c'mon!  But back in the day, before it was concrete, it was, doubtless, quite a lovely expanse to the sea, but then again, at the time, it was not exactly a tourist attraction:

Look at the three fellows below.  What has changed over the years?  Outfits, facial hair styles, and weapons.  That is what has changed.

Now this soldado has very expensive-looking boots!

Nothing could be sillier for going into battle than this uniform.  If you are Napoleon, OK, the hat may work, but for running with a rifle? As for the rest, a tad fussy for the battlefield.  But, then again, if you dress someone up real fine, maybe he would be more willing to get in there and, well, you know....

Slightly more practical, but not much of an improvement overall. Note the bayonet:  

On to the Alcazaba, a Moorish site that displayed some original mosaics:

And other artifacts:

Wandered in a park then off to the waterfront where a HUGE cruise ship was in port.  There was another one, even bigger!

Enough of the city.  Took a cab to the botanical garden, which smelled divine!  It was more of an arboretum, but it had an impressive display of cacti:

The original pin cushion!

Why did I not go to the Picasso Museum today as planned?  Because the line was very long, so I did what Alex would have done (other people, too, but definitely Alex!): took out my phone, went to the museum's website, purchased a ticket on-line for tomorrow, got the app for the ticket, which did not work, contacted customer service who claimed not to have a recored of the transaction, sent them a screenshot of my receipt, and finally received the ticket.  All that plus, after many tries, calibrating the compass on my GPS and figuring out Google Photos have constituted my proud and official transition from the industrial to the IT age!   

SPAIN 2022: Departure and Arrival, April 17 and 18

Had a nice little narrative going about adventures so far, like everything humming along just fine until having the world's absolute tiniest knife ever confiscated (I thought they were after my grapefruit), and almost not making it through the "health" check despite proof of two vaccines and two boosters (they wanted originals, yes, originals, of all forms).  However, my deciding at the last minute to, OK, use VeriFLY, an app suggested by AA, but that seemed utterly redundant, saved the day.  

So we will pick up the story at TOD (time of departure.  Everyone in line, plane on time and ready to board:

Then: "All passengers, flight 94 to Madrid, gate change.  This flight is now departing from Gate 8." Immediately, like a herd of cattle, the crowd stampeded from Gate 34 all the way across the terminal only to be faced with a delay of over an hour while catering loaded the food.  My worries:  Would Rojita be transferred, too?

  YES, SHE WAS!

Would I miss my train to Malaga?  

 YES, I DID!  By a hair!  However, I was lucky to get a seat on a train two hours later.  And not only that, they did not even charge a penalty.  

Hotel a bit dreary, definitely overrated, reception could use some people skills, but from my room there is great view of the Teatro Romano:

The downside is that the large plaza, which also takes in this view, is a series of bars, thus, very noisy.  And, as is common knowledge, Spaniards are not an early to bed early to rise sort of folk.  Is it not for situations such as this that one has noise cancelling headphones?

   

 Spent the first afternoon hunting and gathering.  Discovered that peanut butter is more available than I had thought, but instant latte is not.  Salad dressing is definitely not a "thing" here.  

Tomorrow, serious sightseeing will commence!  Cannot wait for the Picasso Museum!

 

Like a herd of cattle, the crowd stampeded from gate 34 all the way across the terminal only to be faced with a delay of over an hour as catering did its job.  My worries:  
Will Rojita  
 be transferred from the plane at Gate 34 ?  Will I miss my train to Malaga?  Yes and Yes!
Luckily, I was able to get a ticket for the next train two hours later.