Weather extremes

Our Spanish trip last year exposed us to the extremes of weather that can occur over very short periods. We left Madrid in sweltering heat - it was 40 degrees for the first 3 days. Then we arrived at the hilltop town of Arcos de la Frontera and the wind started to blow, which brought temperatures down to a more bearable level, and the sun continued to shine. On the third night, we were woken by an almighty clap of thunder right overhead, the curtain billowed and the shutters banged. The roof leaked a little but fortunately not over the bed.

In the morning, everything was washed clean and we headed off into the mountains to the picturesque village of Grazalema, which is in the area traversed by the famed Camino walk. As we drove higher and higher along a narrow, twisting road, the views became more and more spectacular, while the outside temperature decreased with altitude. We didn't notice until we stopped in a lay-by to take photos and nearly froze our fingers off! After that I resorted to taking photos through the window. The photo below shows the terrain these brave hikers pass through.

It got progressively darker and within half an hour, it was hailing. These are some of the highest mountains in Spain, so it was hardly unusual, but we had packed for Marbella and I was somewhat underdressed for cold weather!

The next day we set off for Granada. The bad weather had passed through there as well and we were thrilled to find that the Sierra Nevada had a substantial coating of snow. It was as though it was specially arranged for our visit, and our hotel room faced towards the mountain range, providing us with memorable pink-tinged sunsets at 10pm every night that we were there. 

After heat, hail and snow, we finally reached the Mediterranean, where the temperature was mild and sunny, the sand too hot to stand on and the water too cold to swim in! You just can't win.

But we're ready to do it all again!