Adventure, Anxiety and Andalucia : all begin with A

Last Autumn I was looking for a little Autumn sun; so I googled unspoiled beaches and decided to  take one of my biggest adventures yet - exploring the Cabo de Gata coast, the Sierra Alhamilla and Tabernas Desert in a mere 6 days.

(Cabo de Gata coast)

(Driving across the Sierra Alhamilla)

It was a big adventure for me because I was going somewhere rural - although you might not have guessed this from the package holiday airlines that served Almería - I was on my own, and going to a place in the shadow of a volcano. My base for the week was the village of Níjar - a historic hill village with early medieval water systems, Moorish watch towers, and distant views of the coastline, the house I stayed in built into caves that people have lived in since the Neolithic!

(Ancient landscaping)

The village is culturally renowned for rag-rugs and special pottery. The high street shopping model has not changed much since the medieval period - artists have their shop in the 'living room' area at the front of the house, and then they live behind and above the shop. I was visiting one of these potters, drinking coffee and chatting away when we came to talking about anxiety and stress. She said I was very brave to travel on my own, that she is too anxious to travel. I get anxious and worried about a lot of things but I don't let it stop me travelling; I said, 'if I can get anxious just sat at home I'd rather see the world and have something real to worry about'.

(Unique ceramic from Níjar)

These are famous last words because my week exploring the Almería region was quite eventful and I did have plenty of real worries to contend with whilst exploring this area of incredible beauty. This short series of blog posts will explore the coast, the country and the city in the Almería region.