As you look out from one of the many viewing platforms at the panoramic view that takes in the Mediterranean glistening in the afternoon sunshine and the dusty plain of the mainland that merges into the rising Sierra Cabrera, it’s easy to imagine the inexorable march of the conquering army of Isabelle of Castille and Fernando of Aragon surrounding the last enclaves of over 700 years of Arabic rule.
Like children clutching the skirts of their mother, the newly built holiday villages and hotels lie at the foot of the steep road that leads up to the village of Mojácar. The approach road is under construction. New pipes, cables and a brand new surface pending.
The matter-of-fact welcome to this village sitting in the foothills of the Sierra Cabrera doesn’t detract from the sheer unexpected beauty of the place. Its Arabic sounding name provides it with a feeling of anticipation and, when its white houses, clinging precariously to steep inclines, slide into view the feeling of being somewhere in northern Africa, instead of a coast of Almeria in southern Europe, intensifies.
Mojacár is a village full of surprises – unfortunately not waiting to be discovered. The close knit huddling together of the houses has created a maze of narrow streets and small, flower bedecked corners hidden from the gaze of the many tourists eager to find a forgotten or lost world. Most of them aren’t disappointed even when they discover that the inhabitants of Mojácar are entirely conscious of the demands of 21st century living.
Restaurants and bars, souvenir shops and designer labels can all be found in the winding, beautifully kept streets of Mojacár. The many viewing platforms provide breathtaking views over the low lying plains, and the vast extent of the Mediterranean below.
Mature bougainvillea spill over 15th buildings, and sympathetically restored towers provide an apt setting for the community of artists and bohemians whose search for the natural paradise has evolved into promotion of the local economy.
Even with the trappings of modern globalisation so overtly on display, there’s nothing so awe inspiring as sitting in a bar with an open terrace on a hot summer’s day, an ice cool beer in front of you and savouring a view which is normally only a privilege given over to eagles, soaring high in the silent realms of the sky.
More information:
http://www.mojacar.co.uk/
www.mojacar-holidays.com/
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Clinging to a hill that has pretensions to being mountainous, Mojácar is a living example of how Spain developed before and after the final conquest of the Peninsula by the Catholic Kings.
