O plimbare scurta la Almunecar / A Short Walk to Almunecar

I missed the sea, so I took a bus in an afternoon, from Granada, and went to Almunecar, on Costa Tropical. Much to my surprise, no tourists there yet, only few locals.

On the way, I passed through hills, and I was impressed to see that every piece of good soil was exploited.

Near the bus stop, in Plaza de Agua an interesting bronze statue reminds that the most important resource is water. The nickname of the statue is “the headless breakdancers of the bronze age”.

At the beginning it was a Phoenician colony, called Sexi (yest, exactly!), then it was conquered by Greeks, Romans and Arabs. Only in the ’70-’80, they discovered in the Majuelo Botanical Gardens vestiges of the “salazones”, pitches with salt, united by water channels, which have been used for salting the fishes. This was the principal occupation of the population in this area.

Above the Botanical Garden rises the San Miguel Castle, built by Romans and made into a fortress by the Arabs.


I walked a little I town. Low blocks of flats, houses and a church built during 1567-1600 by King’s Philip II architect, Juan de Herrera. The Velilla Beach was deserted. I sat there for half an hour, admiring the see and hearing to the waves. I was warmed up by a spring sun. Then, I took the bus back, to Granada.
Mi-era dor de mare si stiind ca ea nu e departe de Granada, am plecat cu autobuzul intr-o dupa amiaza, la Almunecar pe Costa Tropical. Spre surpriza mea, desi era luna mai, doar cativa localnici, nici urma de turisti inca.

Drumul pana acolo m-a purtat printr-o zona de munti nu prea inalti dar destul de verzi, comparativ cu ce vazusem intre Madrid si Granada. M-a impresionat faptul ca orice palma de pamant roditor, oricat de mica, fusese transformata intr-o gradina.

 Costa Tropical

Almunecar

Langa autogara, in Plaza de Agua, o interesanta statuie de bronz, care aminteste ca cea mai importanta resursa este apa. In gluma, grupului statuar i se spune "dansatorii de breakdance fara cap, ai epocii de bronz".

Initial, Almunecar a fost o colonie feniciana, numita Sexi (da, chiar asa!), ai carei locuitori s-au ocupat cu pescuitul. Greci, romani si mauri au cucerit pe rand locul, considerat foarte important pentru comertul cu peste. Relativ recent (anii '70-'80) s-au descoperit in Parcul Botanic Majuelo ruinele asa numitelor "salazones", gropi cu sare intre care erau canale de apa si care erau folosite la saratul pestelui. Deasupra lor se inalta Castelul San Miguel, construit de romani in secolul I inainte de Christos. Maurii sunt insa cei care l-au fortificat, construind 46 turnuri de aparare si 3 porti principale.

Castelul San Miguel si "salazones"

Gradina Botanica reprezinta cea mai mare colectie europeana exterioara de plante tropicale si subtropicale. Mie mi-a placut mai ales o "padurice" de Trompeta ingerului, galbene.

Brugmansia aurea

Partea de oras prin care am trecut are blocuri de cateva nivele si palmieri dar am dat si peste Biserica

Incarnarii (daca va mira un asemena nume la o biserica crestina, citit aici http://www.near-death.com/experiences/origen03.html sau aici http://www.christianity.co.nz/life_death6.htm, de exemplu. Ea a fost ridicata intre 1567-1600 cu material de la o moschee daramata. Arhitectul regelui Filip II, Juan de Herrera a proiectat aceasta biserica, mai putin turnul, care se datoreaza lui Diego de Siloe din Granada, care a proiectat in mare parte Catedrala de acolo. In apropiere, o strada in panta, cu case mai vechi.

 Biserica Incarnarii

M-am indreptat apoi spre Plaja Velilla. Era pustie. Am stat acolo vreo jumatate de ora, privind marea si ascultand cum se sparg valurile de tarm. Ma incalzea un soare bland, de primavara. Cu dorul de mare oarecum alinat, m-am intors in Granada.