Almeria is a large city of 170,000 people; it is also the capital of the province of the same name. We went to get the lay of the land…find the train station and a place to get a haircut, check out cute boys…and go to Al Campo, Europe’s version of Walmart (which was actually in the mall). Al Campo would put Walmart to shame with its uber-fresh fish department (an entire Marlin on ice!), wines, cheese, Serrano hams at one end of the store and towering shelves of electronics, not-so-stylish house wares and clothes at the opposite end.
While at the mall we went to Hollywood Hamburguesas for an American style lunch. As we sat there eating a plate of cheesy bacon fries (served by a Moorish hunk named Omier-yikes!) we seriously could have been anywhere in the US (except the Spanish signage announcing the Christmas sales gave it away).
At the time I thought lunch was going to be the highlight of the day but I was mistaken. When we left Almeria we drove the coastal road home instead of the highway. There were some pretty sights to see along the way but the best of all where the beaches in San Jose, the next town to the south of Las Negras (about a 15 minute drive).
The town of San Jose reminded me a little of the photos I’ve seen of Capri, Italy: white dwellings rising up off of the shoreline and stacked on top of each other up the surrounding hillsides, all hovering around a cove/marina. We were told the place is a mob scene of families and screaming children from June 15-end of August. This time of year it’s so serene and pretty much deserted.
If you drive past the town, following the signs for the beaches you will hit a dirt road that stretches for two miles though the natural park. The only buildings along this road are the original farm houses (maybe only 2 and even those are not lived in). All you can see is the gorgeous, rustic topography with the coastline stretching out along your left and the beautiful beaches in the distance. Oh and there was a shepherd walking his flock of sheep through the land. The entire package seriously almost made me cry.
Photos could not do this place justice. These are among the most beautiful sights I have ever seen, ranking right up there with the coastline of County Kerry in Ireland. Anyone who comes to visit us will be going here. I didn’t even get photos of the best views so I had to pirate them off the internet.
I can't wait to see this it looks absolutely breathtaking!
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