Through the Cabo de Gata-Nijar

Last Monday, the 7th of June 2010, we went for a short trip to “Agua Amarga”,  a little village by the sea about 50 kilometres south of here, planning to be back for the football World Cup.

We have decided to regularly make short trips with the motor home, just to recharge the batteries a little bit and to ‘reset the system’. If there is something I don’t really like in usual everyday life, it is the routine which takes over as soon as one is home again. We have travelled a lot this year, in fact we were more out than in, but always when we come back, it doesn’t take even one day before the routine is comfortably installed in our lives. To be honest, we have also a great life at home, the routine is sweet, full of fun and love, but routine is routine, and I regularly need to break it!

So here we are, Monday afternoon on our way to Agua Amarga-which by the way, means “Bitter Water”. We had been there 2 years ago, but only for one hour,  I had liked it and seemed to remember there were good motifs for me to sketch.

On the way there we stopped at a place where one has a fantastic view of the Cabo de Gata-Nijar

This place is huge, the view is very impressive, and it is really not easy  to reflect in a sketch the majesty of the scenery. Working directly on the paper with an ink pen, I have no chance to erase anything, and I always feel quite scared when I start a sketch involving such an extended place, in width and height! . But well, I did it, and Kevin says:

“It’s exactly it!”

Kevin is always sooooooooooooooooo kind!

One of these typical ruins one finds everywhere in Spain… this one was just a wall with a door in it, nothing more! And cactus and stones all around, very Spanish too!

On the top of the hill to the left you can see one of these picturesque watchtowers  ringing the coast of Spain from Gibraltar to the Pyrenees. For centuries they gave warning of attacks by the Barbary Pirates from North Africa. At least I think it is one of them!

And concerning the little white buildings, please don’t come to me and say

“they don’t really look like that!”

because to me they do look like that. In reality there might me more or less of them, and with slightly different shapes, but the impression is this:

little white buildings tumbling down the hill!!