The highlight of week 15 was a trip to Sierra Nevada, a ski resort in the foothills of the highest peak in Spain, and a half day in nearby Granada. We also had an Easter Sunday lunch with friends, and there is the usual cycling stuff as well.
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My wife and I drove to Sierra Nevada (about 400 km from Alicante) on Sunday morning so as arrive there around noon and get a half day of skiing that day. I do not ski, so while my wife was on the slopes, I drove around a bit and photographed the landscapes:
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This is Mulhacén, at almost 3500 meters the highest peak on the Iberian Peninsula:
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The snow on the slopes was not ideal this late in the season, but according to my wife it was usable. The village where we stayed (and where most people stay), Pradollano, can be seen at the bottom:
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I drove up to an altitude of around 2500 meters. At that altitude there was snow by the side of the road, enjoyed by some more than by others:
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Back in the village, I happened upon one of the pro cycling teams, apparently there for a spot of mountain training:
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These two passers-by were admiring the bikes and their low weight:
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I also had a closer look (and drooled a bit too):
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The cyclists and the mechanics seemed to have a very good rapport:
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Finally, after about 20 minutes of chatting, the two cyclists got on their way:
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Towards the end of the afternoon, I met up with my wife. This was her first skiing session since 2019, and she was quite tired:
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The plan was for my wife to continue skiing on Monday, but extremely high winds delayed the opening of the slopes, and eventually the day was called off altogether. So instead we drove to Granada where the sun was shining and walked around the centre of town for a couple of hours:
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A small vegetable market:
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Snake oil remedies next to the cathedral:
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Karl Marx on the cathedral wall:
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There was a long queue to visit the cathedral, so instead we popped into the 14th century madrassa on the left, today an art gallery run by the University of Granada:
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My wife looking at some of the art inside:
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Keeping with the art theme, but now back in the office. Our art club WeArt started a new activity this week, a series of monthly lunchtime talks about an artist that a member finds particularly interesting. The first such talk was by my Swedish colleague Kaisa, and the subject of her talk was the Swedish painter Hilma af Klint:
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As has been the case in previous weeks, we had some stormy weather this week. I took this photo one morning while cycling:
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Towards the end of the week the weather improved, and the beach had a more normal look:
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One afternoon on my way home, I stopped in the city to buy something and took a short walk, passing the Plaza Gabriel Miró:
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On Saturday, I was out cycling as usual, and passed El Campello harbour where the usual gang of elderly French people were starting a game of pétanque:
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Later I stopped in the village of Busot, where the town hall was decorated for Semana Santa:
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Many windows were similarly decorated:
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In addition to Easter, Busot was also celebrating its Moros y Cristianos festival:
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On Sunday, we invited 10-12 of our friends for lunch. As always on such occasions, my wife invested a lot of effort in setting everything up nicely:
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As usual, Eliot was on grill duty:
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Almost ready:
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And then we sat down and got down to business:
