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!