April 10 -- Comares

Today we took a road trip through some of the hill towns north of Frigiliana, our destination being Comares, a white village atop a mountain which, when seen from the coast, looks like a snow cap on the mountain. We travelled through hilly countryside on very winding roads, through the district of La Axarquia (La A Shar ia). This region is agricultural and we travelled continuously through mango orchards, vineyards, and olive groves, with citrus fruits and fig palm trees also in abundance. Every few kilometres we passed through a whitewashed medieval village with narrow streets.

The farmers use every hillside, no matter how steep, for plantings of some sort. Entire hillsides are planted to very old Muscat vines, pruned back to trunks not more than two feet long and hugging the ground with no supporting posts or wires. Drying racks in the backyards of numerous houses indicate the importance of raisin and Muscatel wine production. The villages are kept very tidy and we saw plenty of evidence of construction, indicating quite a vibrant rural economy.

Comares is perched atop a mountain with great views over the agricultural landscape. It is built on successive fortresses -- Roman, Moorish and Christian. At the very height is the cemetery with Muslim and Christian sections, the latter comprised of banks of crypts, many decorated with flowers. Both churches in town were formerly Mosques. The town is Moorish in layout and architecture, with winding, narrow streets, archways leading to courtyards, very low doorways of various styles, and few windows. The village has a hotel, a couple of other bars and restaurants, a goat dairy, a plaza, and numerous miradors or viewpoints.

When climbing through these hilltop villages one wonders how anyone with physical disabilities could live here as the tiled streets are so steep. Wizened, seemingly old, people slowly labour up the alleys, canes in hand. In public areas older men are seen huddled in conversation, enjoying the sun.