I watched as the sky slowly turned a lighter shade of night; a hue that told me that dawn was approaching. Soon I was able to see the hilly desert terrain as we made our way towards Almeria.
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| Me lying on the wall of the Alcazaba with the city below me |
Tucked away in the south-east corner of the country, Almeria isn't as well known as other cities in Andalucia but has its own certain "duende". The word is difficult to translate into English but correlates with magic and spirit, which is exactly what you feel when you enter the city of Almeria.
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| Old facades of one of the buildings |
The city was quiet that Saturday morning, the first weekend of December. The sky had that cold winter blue colour that told you the sunshine was only teasing you with its brightness. The streets were close to empty; the weekend of the "puente" had turned the town into a slumbering and empty borough. (Long weekends in Spanish are translated to the "bridge". "Hacer puente", meaning to take a long weekend.) We sauntered towards the old town, having in mind certain monuments that we wanted to see.
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| Quiet, empty street in the city |
Almeria is ancient. You can feel the "duende" as you walk along the narrow streets. Buildings are old and the even the air seems to want to share a story with you. The wind whipped around our faces as we made our way around the city. Almeria was founded by Calipha Abd-ar-Rahman III (calipha meaning civil and religious Islamic ruler) in the 10th century.
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| Picture of urban paradise |
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| A side street coming down from the Alcazaba |
The city garnered its name from the building of the Alcazaba; once the most powerful Moorish fortress in Spain. The city was called Al-Mari'yah; "The Watchtower". The Alcazaba is the second largest citadel in the region, after the Alhambra in Granada. The city lies on the shores of the Mediterranean. The Alcazaba of Almeria (for there are others in other cities), is perched on a hill: the perfect vantage point for any imposing invaders that would come to raid the land.
With afternoon lunch along the beach front and having plans in a hammam, the day slowly came to an end. A hammam, similar to Turkish Baths, which involves different pools of various water temperatures as well as an aromatic sauna, is meant to induce wellness and relaxation. It was a wonderful experience as we went for a full body massage; destressing ourselves before the hubbub of the Christmas season.
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| I like taking photos of cities' manholes. I realise how that sounds. |
Many people don't think of visiting this particular patch of land when Seville, Malaga and Granada are so close but it is quite famous for other bizarre reasons. For one, the region contain Europe's only desert and was used as the back drop for many spaghetti westerns like 'The good, the Bad and the Ugly' and one of the Indiana Jones' films.
I'm definitely thinking of returning in the summer and visiting Cabo de Gata; a stretch of coastline in the area that is apparently breath taking, as well as going to check out 'Mini Hollywood'.
Soon Almeria! In the meantime, I shall continue humming the catchy tune of 'Is This The Way to Amarillo' and only changing the lyrics a little bit.
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| View of the city from the Alcazba |
