As we left Seville and found the highway that would ultimately bring us to Granada, we made frequent stops. We chose our route specifically so we could visit Antequera. The first sighting of this picturesque city in the distance is that of a typical medieval town, with the spires of her many churches and the walls and towers of the great Moorish fortress silhouetted against the sky, and, spread out on the valley below. Amongst the streets, shops and residences I found a Baroque church with a single large nave, a beautifully coffered ceiling and splendid Baroque altarpieces. I am sure that we did not truly experience the flavor of this city for we were anxious to make our way toward Granada and did not spend adequate time here.
Sprinkled along the way, sometimes far off and sometimes near our path, are tiny unspoiled villages and whitewashed towns, those famous pueblos blancos (white villages), beckoning us to visit. I do not recall the names of some of these miniature boroughs but one stands out above all the others.
Finding the correct exit from our artery was challenging but once confident we were on the correct road we traveled a few miles through picturesque mountainous terrain with rocky cliffs to one side and deep gorges intimidating us from the other. One bend after another until there, in the distance, a spectacle one can barely imagine, comes into view. Creating one of the most unforgettable views in Spain is Montefrio, a white village in the northwestern corner of the province of Granada, whose steep slopes contain whitewashed multi-levels of structures until the angle of the hillside no longer can contain a structure. Atop the lofty cliff that this crest forms stands a church where once a mighty Moorish fortress stood. As we near the village it once again disappears from sight and then another turn and we come upon its base. Montefrio is surrounded by a cluster of low-lying mountains covered with pine forests and undulating rows of olive groves, slashed everywhere with jagged white cliffs and canyons; surely one of the loveliest regions in Andalucia. Time constraints kept us from the challenge of driving to its apex but the panoramic view is what we sought. One man, he calls himself "Lorenzo" has writing much upon the web about the village of Montefrio. The site is at http://www.donlorenzo.com - I suggest you read it. For now darkness was rapidly approaching and so we chose to continue our journey toward Granada.
The sun having already bedded itself beneath the mountaintops we were glad to easily find our next accommodations. The Alixares was a comfortable, convenient and affordable three star facility with all the Andalucian hospitality we had come to expect. Settling in, then a casual buffet dinner in the hotel dining room, we were ready to end our day and look forward to our next days adventure at the Alhambra.
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