After the market, see my other blog http://www.travellingeuropewithkids.com/spain-lubrin-village-and-its-wednesday-market/, we returned home, unloaded and then moved on out for our adventure to the coast which is about 30 minutes drive over a very high hill range. It was a lovely drive with plenty of amazing views however I couldn’t appreciate them too much as I needed to focus on the road, which was a little like the Desert road in New Zealand, only half as wide and much more intense. We intentionally drove through Mojacar initially as we planned to return after driving down the coast. Karen wanted to drive down to the start of the Cabo de Gata Nijar National Park to see the spectacular views along the way. Incidentally this is the other end of the same park that starts at El Toyo where we stayed last week.

Along the coast reminded me of Surfer’s Paradise with less high-rise buildings. Once you move inland a little the road winds higher and higher and the views toward the ocean and the valleys become even more amazing and to some degree frightening.

 

We returned to Mojacar playa (beach) and then drove up the road to the old hillside city. Mojacar claims to have been populated since around 2000 BC and to have been part of the history of traders such as the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, and Romans. North African moors established lives in Mojacar and in 1488 the leaders of the region agreed to live in peace and drew up a pact of free association between the local Moors, Jews, and Christians. The town is built up on the hillside and most of it is packed with houses and narrow walking lanes.