Trevelez

 June 8

Today we almost climbed a mountain. We almost caught a fish. We almost adopted a cat. We almost fell in love - no, we did fall in love.

When our dreams of hiking our mountain shattered early on the morning of the 8th, Nic came up with the alternate plan of going to the Trevelez river and the village of Trevelez to walk about and check out the fishing scene. This seemed as good of a plan as any. Before we left the States there was a great deal of conversation about whether or not Nic needed fishing poles. We decided he did not. We were wrong. Again.

Turns out the fishing there is pretty sweet. It might be perfect. While we rambled about in my allergies, (I am also allergic to Spain), we discovered the fishing might actually be perfect. Nic even saw a fish that practically begged to be caught. We could not catch it because there was literally no one around to let us borrow their poles for just a second.

Sadly we did not hike a mountain or catch a fish.

But we did fall in love with the Sierra Nevadas. I am pretty sure we will back here. In fact, I think Nic wants to live here.

And we already have a cat. I named him Tomas El Gato. He loved us. He followed us literally all day.

Nic tends to attract animals. I cannot tell you how many miles I have walked behind this man and some animal trailing behind him.

I pet this cat a lot. I have a general rule about not touching cats in other countries due to ring worm, fleas, ticks, mites, and other transferable diseases. I am now convinced I have all of these as I bonded deeply with El Gato.

I tried to get Nic to let me take him home. He said no. I tried to get him to buy the land he lives on. He is thinking about it. I am worried El Gato will not wait for me. 

Especially since I spied some naked people skinny dipping in the river. I am pretty sure they adopted him already. My heart is broken. And I saw naked people. So there is that.

To distract me from the loss of my new cat, Nic took me to Trevelez where we learned about ham. Turns out Trevelez is somewhat, or very famous for their hams. They hang ham hocks all over town. It is a little wierd. They also have weird shrines to pigs. I am not joking.

It also turns out our hike to the tippy top of Spain was not, “Impossible.” We could have hiked from Trevelez if only drunk Paco had told us. But no. We did not know. Paco did not tell us and as a result we almost hiked the mountain. 

Instead, Nic ate ham, and I ate cheese and olives and we both drank wine. It was almost as good as hiking a mountain, or catching a fish, or adopting a cat. Almost, but not quite.

Then Nic fell in love Trevelez, too. He loves it a lot. He especially loves that it smells like ham. I do not especially love that. I also think the pig shrines are weird. 

But lo, and behold, Trevelez has kittens. That is pretty cool, and weird stables built into their mountain homes. While we wandered in and among these houses, all I could think of were trolls, or gnomes, or hobbits. People who have built these tiny homes into the side of the hill, who live in tiny communities, and who make a life in the high mountains of Spain.

I am not saying I would, but if I ever wanted to go as far away from the world as I could go, to live in the most magical place I could imagine, you might find me and Tomas, and Nic in tiny rock home, whitewashed, with a rug over the door, living on ham and cheese and bread. It is worth remembering.

But it won’t be in Trevelez. You will more likely find me in Capileira. Just sayin’.