Sillar Baja

Our last weekend in Spain was spent in the mountains outside of Grenada. Our hosts, Kurt and Melanie, sponsored a children's camp in a small town of Sillar Baja. This town dates from the Moorish Rule, which means it was established long before 1500. The local shepherds drive their flocks to pasture in the morning, raising fine yellow dust over the trail and awakening us from our morning slumber with the hollow clang of many bells. In her morning stupor, Liana thought the sound was an approaching ice-cream truck.
We hiked these mountains and picnicked on sandwiches and watermelon on the rocky outledges.
Farming is the only local industry. Most people have deserted this outback town for the nearby cities in order to make a living.
This is a view of Sillar Baja from the mountainside behind it. Only a few dozen elderly residents call it home, but on weekends and holidays, the town population blossoms with extended family.
Click on to my photos to see the kind of fun we had.