Some 735m high, it virtually teeters on top of a hill, inland from the coast about 25 kms. From all around you can see this fairy tale pueblo perching precariously on top of its hillside. Mountain would be a better word.
That's where we're heading. Up there.
Getting nearer to our destination.
Perching on top of the hill.
Looking down on the hills from our eyrie. We might as well be in a 'plane.
Looking across, still higher than they are though.
The population of Comares is officially less than 2000. Not surprisingly. Why anyone would want to live there is beyond me. It is an excellent visit for a touristy day out - quaint town, superb views, panoramic scenery - takes ages to get to, and miles off the beaten track. But that's Spain for you.
Our first visit there left me clinging onto the side of our trusty Santana Land Rover as we wound perilously ever and upwards towards the sky. Vertigo kicked in big time.
Partner helpfully pointed out that he had known someone else like me before. Seems our heads can't take in the ascent as rapidly as it is made. Figures. So he slowed right down and we crawled painfully up the never-ending hillside. Round and round and up and up and .... well you get the idea.
Eventually we arrived. Was I ever glad to fall out of the vehicle and hit terra firma. Even if I was worried about falling off the edge of it.
The pueblo is pretty. Usual quaint white town stuff. Winding Moorish streets, old castle and not much else. Oh, lots of pretty flowers outside peoples' houses which never seem to get nicked.
Pretty floral patios.
Up to the castillo.
Arty photo.
Looking back to the village from the castillo.
Looking across the hills from the castillo.
Early this year someone hid a geocache in the castle grounds. Did I really want to have a vertiginous experience to go all the way back up there just to find some tiny bit of treasure? Truth was, no. Especially when someone else got the so-called desirable First To Find. (ie the first person to find the new cache).
But then someone else hid one part way up the hill, and after a few days, still no-one had found it. As I said, Comares is hardly on the road to anywhere.
The pesky road had to be braved again. It wasn't worth it for one cache, but two - and a FTF? Sadly, yes. So off we embarked on the evil drive to the sky. But time does strange things to us. The evil drive was not so bad after all. In fact, I even looked out of the window. It wasn't as bad as I remembered and we chugged gaily upwards. I jumped out happily to find the first cache and was totally delirious to be the first to find, although not so delirious to discover there were no goodies in the tat treasure hidey thing.
Off we went to park at the edge of town to find the other one in the castle. This was a successful day was it not? Partner stayed at the horrendous mirador - my vertigo couldn't quite cope with that - while I skipped off happily around the windy streets saying hola to all and sundry.
My geocatzing dog at the mirador - appears to be asleep here. Five seconds later he wasn't when he spotted the cat under the car.
And in the distance - the sea.
And of course - I couldn't find it. I spent ages traipsing up and down and around the levels of the castle and got nowhere. I tried to look up the geocaching website on the mobile to check out the spoiler pic and couldn't get reception.
I went back to find Top Geocaching Partner. He refused to come, on the grounds there could be cats in the old castle area and Cat Chasing Dog would be On Safari. Cat Chasing Dog emphasised the point by promptly finding one under a car at the mirador, nearly pulling Partner on his back on the urgent cat safari. Daktari?
CCD and TGP stalked off haughtily back towards the cat-free vehicle area. And naturally promptly found another cat. Hey boys, why didn't you come to help me with the cache? There were less cats up there.
I went back up, on the now fruitless search. A total Did Not Find. Well no caches, but found - plenty of cats. The joys of geocatzing. So yet another detour up to the roof of the world is called for to find this dratted cache. Maybe next time I shall take a book, sit in the Landy with naughty Cat Chasing Dog, and let Top Geocaching Partner go and find it. That's assuming he can even find the castle.
The windy windy road down the hill.
A view of the cache spot - coming down to it.
One of soooo many hairpin bends.
No comments:
Post a Comment