Hiking up to Ermita de Santa Llúcia

Can you spot the ermita up at the top? 

We've visited the Ermita de Santa Llúcia on numerous occasions but we have never walked up the steep southern route. It's only about a 1.7km hike but it is nearly continuously up hill and it has some steep sections towards the end. The views are breathtaking and worth the hike, we were lucky to have an overcast day that provided some shade on our way up. 

A view midway looking south

 

Miraflores de la Sierra: Paseo de las fuentes

A sample of the fountains

Miraflores de la Sierra has a fun little paseo called the paseo de las fuentes. It claims to be a 5km circular trail but it is a little awkward in the layout, which resulted in us missing a few of the fountains. The route starts from the center of the town at the main fountain, with a map indicating the next stop. Each stop is like this, with some of the fountains functioning while others have fun dry. There is not a comprehensive map rather each fountain provides the steps to the subsequent fountain. We certainly improvised along the way cutting through some old farmland but overall it was a really enjoyable walk. 

I think they could give this route an update, it's quite fun to have so many fountains, each with a little story attached and it gives one an excuse to roam the town a bit.  

Área Recreativa Fuente Del Cura - Miraflores de la Sierra: Trip II

 

Trips up to this area are frequent due to having some friends living in Miraflores. It's a great area because there are accessible walks from the village itself as well as a network of longer trails for all types of hikers. We were even surprised to see some cyclists with non electric bikes that were powering up the relatively steep climbs. 

We took a popular trail up through a forested area that eventually led to an open plain. We crossed over the plain to drink from the Fuente de la Parada del Reye before going back to town. 

Fuente de la Parada del Rey

 

Parque Natural Islas Columbretes

 

After two years of failed attempts, we finally visited Parque Natural Islas Columbretes! In the previous years it's been a lack of other passengers or poor weather that has prevented us from visiting. This year we were the last two seats booked on a 12 person trip. 

The boat took about 2 hours to reach the islands and we had very calm seas and an amusing following of shearwaters and a few gulls following in our wake. When we reached the island we enjoyed a walk to the lighthouse along the ridge of the island. It's quite dramatic and stunning; a cresecent moon with a placid bay and an a few other scattered islands of rock jutting up. The panoramic from the ridge is breathtaking though hot in the summer sun. 

After the island sightseeing we went down to the bay and had a quick swim. We went on another cruise of nearby islands. We had spoken with the captain and told him we were keen on seeing Eleonora's Falcons, a Mediterranean endemic known to nest on the islands. Our second snorkeling spot also had some falcons nesting on the island, it was such a treat to watch them fly around the area. 

The islands are unique and relatively accessible. The boat trip is a little long but the boat was really comfortable and being out on the open water was also part of the experience.  

 

Castellón de la Plana

 

I am a huge fan of Castellón de la Plana, a place that I consider to be an underrated gem of Spain though not necessarily somewhere I'd say is a deep cut or a place to go out of your way to visit. But if you happen to be in Castellón (as it's colloquially referred to) you should enjoy your time there! 

We have some family in Castellón, hence the frequent visits though I realize that I have not blogged about it. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a good Plaza Mayor but Castellón's downtown area is lively and has some beautiful buildings such as the main church, central market, and local government office. It's all set among cafes, plenty of open space with benches, and a fair amount of people out. I was pleasantly surprised to see a bunch of foreign and domestic tourists in the plaza, mainly angling to take a photo with the "Castelló" floral display (it says the Castellano 'Castellón' on the back side). 

There are some nice pedestrian streets full of shops and cafes, it's a really nice city to stroll in. There is also a tram that runs down to the port and marina which is something like 4km outside of the city proper. It's overall just a very pleasant city, totally unpretentious and even a little charming? 

The port

 

The Alhambra

The Court of Lions central fountain. Watch the video I linked below to see how it worked as a clock! I was low key disappointed that it was not functioning as a clock when I visited.

I am ashamed to say that I was not very familiar with the Alhambra apart from it being a tourist destination in Spain. My partner really encouraged me to visit, she thought I'd quite enjoy it. Unfortunately our trip to Granada was only confirmed the week before and when I checked the official website I saw that tickets were sold out months in advance. I was disappointed but when we reached Granada one of her local contacts told me to line up at the box office before it opened and they almost always released tickets. I was super excited and I was the first person in line at 7:15am (box offices opened at 8am). 

On my way up to the box office my taxi driver advised that I should have checked their website at midnight as they release tickets online as well. I tried to check it but the website was down, possibly from other unprepared tourists such as myself. However, while waiting in line at about 7:40 I checked the website and there were plenty of tickets available. I purchased one for 9am and went to chill until the site opened. 

I was really glad to have booked an early tour of the main attraction (Nasrid Palace) because the grounds felt a bit crowded as I was leaving. I mean, I totally understand, it's like complaining about the crowds in the Serengeti; there are a ton of people there because it's completely unique and stunning. I think they did a great job of keeping the crowds light in the Nasrid Palace although I was a bit put off by all the large groups that I initially encountered. I remember the first room that I went into there were three large groups and a cacophony of German, Mandarin, and another unknown language. I was able to stay ahead or behind them but the initial encounter was jarring. The Nasrid Palace deserves all the hype, I was amazed at the architecture even without a guide who I am sure would have added context to even further heighten my appreciation. 

It's amazing that the rest of the grounds is basically a gigantic park. This allows you to spend a lot of time just hanging out enjoying the beautiful views of the mountains and of the city below. I happened to be there on a beautiful clear day and probably could have spent more time there had I packed a bocata!

I MUST recommend this YouTube that goes into detail about the clever engineering that went into the building. 

The fountains, aqueducts, and all the water, was simply amazing!

 

Granada city

View from our hotel

 I finally had the chance to visit the south of Spain and it did not disappoint! The trip was actually a work trip for my partner but we stayed an extra day to enjoy some of the sites of the city. As a total giddy that grew up in a cold climate, my mind was absolutely blown by the orange trees on the streets. We happened to be there while they were fruiting and it was quite surreal to see!

The city itself is really manageable and easy to walk around. We were both surprised at how touristy it was but it makes sense given the presence of the iconic Alhambra. Once we were able to identify the really touristy spots with the local neighborhoods we really enjoyed the city. The views of the snow capped mountains were beautiful as well as Alhambra's presence looming over the city.  

Orange trees!