Andalusian Village Offers Christmas Cheer

P I T R E S, Spain, Dec. 3, 2003 -- We arrived in this Andalusian village onthe last day of Spain's 12-day Christmas celebration to find a bandand costumed marchers celebrating Three Kings' Day in the mainsquare.

A man launched a skyrocket from his hand as the kingsthemselves, actually a trio of local farmers, emerged from thechurch. Two wore wigs of flowing curls, the third was in blackface. Each mounted a wooden trailer towed behind a tractor, and theprocession waltzed through the center of Pitres, with the kingstossing candy to children. Like everyone else in town, we followedalong and were welcomed with smiles and a shower of confetti.

This was our introduction to the Alpujarras, a friendly regionof tiny whitewashed villages that has enchanted travelers forcenturies. After a frenetic week spent touring some of Andalusia'sgreat cities, our group of four travelers had come here seeking thequiet of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

On its way from the Sierra to the Mediterranean, the trickle ofmelting snow has chiseled deep gorges into the southern flanks ofSpain's highest mountains. It's a place of broad vistas and countryhospitality, of villages rising improbably from the near-verticallandscape, and well-trodden footpaths winding through pastures,olive groves and orchards.

Glimpsing Africa in Distance

The high places offer views of the sparkling Mediterranean 30miles away. Beyond is the shadowy skyline of Morocco's RifMountains.

This glimpse from Europe into Africa isn't unique in Andalusia.But perhaps nowhere else is the connection with the Islamic pastmore evident. Four centuries ago, this was the last stronghold ofthe Moors in Europe, and many of the high, quiet villages stillfeel exotic.

We had arranged a house rental in Mecinilla, which, along withPitres and five other villages, is part of La Taha, a districtdating to Moorish times.

Mecinilla is connected to its larger neighbor, Mecina, withwhich it shares a church near a grove of almond trees. The flat,white houses piled atop each other spill down the mountainside likepatches of old snow. Steep, narrow lanes wind through the village. Flowering vinesbillow from balconies and climb the whitewashed buildings. Thestreets are too narrow for cars, so we parked on the outskirts oftown and walked to our home for the week, Casa Berenjena. Itsowner, Simon Wix, an affable Englishman, and his wife vacationed inthe Alpujarras for years before settling here.

A Casa With a View

Casa Berenjena is a maze, with three bedrooms, a living room,dining room and study, each with a low-hanging ceiling constructedof roughhewn beams and slate. Its spacious country kitchen was onceused as a cooking school by a French chef. The wood stoves andfireplaces are the only reliable source of heat. The back dooropens onto a stone patio perched a thousand feet above the valley.All this for $60 a night.

Using a homemade guidebook from the owners, we explored pathsalong old stone walls, through the mottled sunlight of orchards andolive groves, and past fields lying fallow for winter. Here andthere we heard goats bleating, their bells jingling.

Every village offered a communal fountain — many decorated withcheerfully painted tiles — spouting pure mountain spring water forour water bottles. One fountain tapped a naturally carbonatedspring, its water gently fizzed.

Everyone, from farmers in fields to women filling pitchers inthe village square, greeted us. And the views were stunning — downthe long funnel of the valley toward the sea and uphill toward thesnowcapped Mulhacen, Spain's highest peak. One day, we went down to an ancient Roman bridge spanning theTrevelez River on the valley floor, then back up the other side.This is no place for acrophobes: On one side was a sheer drop ofseveral hundred feet, straight down to the raging river. From thetop, sharply serrated ridges rise in endless succession, theshadowy rifts between them concealing dozens more valleys just likethis one. From here, it was easy to see why the retreating Moorsfled to this secluded place to make their final stand.

After seven centuries of Islamic rule, King Ferdinand and QueenIsabella reclaimed Granada for Christendom in 1492. As part of theterms of surrender, the conquered Muslim ruler, Boabdil, was giventhe Alpujarras valleys.

Soon after, all Moors were ordered to be baptized as Christiansor face expulsion from Spain. Many who refused to convert soughtrefuge in the Alpujarras, the epicenter of a bloody Moorish revoltin 1568. After the rebellion was suppressed, survivors wereexpelled and the villages were repopulated with settlers fromnorthern Spain.

The Moors' legacy can be seen in the bright, woolen blankets andscarves for sale in the villages and in the Arabic flavors of thelocal cuisine. The architecture of the flat-roofed houses and domedchimneys is said to mirror that of the Berbers' mountain villageson the far side of the Strait of Gibraltar.

Expatriates Lend an International Aura

Almonds, figs, olives and apples are grown here, and the milk oflocal goats and sheep is used in cheese. The hams of prized Iberianpigs are brought from around the country to Trevelez, which claimsto be the highest village in Spain, to cure in the dry mountainair.

Angel, the proprietor of Bar Aljibe, the central dining spot inMecinilla, pours several vintages of local red wine directly fromthe barrel for about $2 a liter. The new wine is light and sweet.As it ages, it becomes darker and more complex.

What isn't grown here is trucked in. Old women gather at nooneach day to wait for the bread truck. On Tuesday mornings afisherman drives from the coast to sell his catch. The vegetableman comes later that day.

Although the region is not heavily touristed, it feelsinternational thanks to expatriates like the Wixes and othervacationers who've settled here. Some villages boast trendyvegetarian and macrobiotic restaurants; a few old farmhouses havesolar panels.

But mostly it's a place of proud traditions, as we learned whenwe encountered the Three Kings' parade. We joined hands with themarchers and savored the end of another perfect day in theAlpujarras.

If You Go…

GETTING THERE: Buses are available from Granada, about an houraway, but consider renting a car to reach the more out-of-the-wayvillages. Either way, be prepared for a hair-raising ride alongprecipitous mountain roads. Follow the N323 south from Granada(toward Motril). After about 21 miles (34 kilometers), exit on theA348. Follow this road east through Lanjaron and Orgiva, where youwill turn left onto GR421. This road climbs steeply throughCapileira and Bubion. To reach the villages of Mecina, Mecinillaand Fondales, turn right on the road that diverges right about 23miles later, after the 38-kilometer marker.

WEATHER: Though the upper slopes of the Sierra Nevada areblanketed in snow for much of the year, it rarely snows in theAlpujarras. The highest villages, Trevelez and Pampaneira, are theexception. Winter temperatures can reach the upper 60s. At night,it dips into the 40s. Still, the villages of La Taha are near 5,000feet elevation and conditions can change quickly. If you plan tohike, pack a fleece jacket and wool hat.

RENTALS: Casa Berenjena, along with other house rentals in theAlpujarras, can be found on the Web at www.inicia.es/de/berenjena/.Casa Berenjena is located in Mecinilla, a village of 500-year-oldBerber houses. Other Alpujarras rentals can be found atwww.alpujarras.co.uk/.

THREE KINGS DAY: Dia de los Reyes, celebrated throughout Spainon Jan. 6, commemorates the arrival of the three wise men inBethlehem.

TIPS: The smaller villages have only one or two places to eat,but you can drive to Pampaneira, Pitres and the other largervillages if you want more restaurants to choose from. Bar Aljibe,in Mecinilla, serves good home-cooked food and local wine alongwith a chance to soak up local culture. As is customary in Spain,dinner is served late.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.tourspain.es or call the U.S.offices for Spain's tourism bureaus in New York (212-265-8822),Chicago (312-642-1992), Los Angeles (323-658-7195), and Miami(305-358-1992).