A Xmas trip to the Tropical Coast, Spain

Now that the Xmas holidays are definitely gone, in Spain are longer than in other countries -for the presents are brought by the ¨Three Wise Men¨ on the night of January 5th-, I am doing some recap of images of the days passed with the family in the south, the region so calle Tropical Coast for the mild, sunny micro climate that produces agricultural delicacies exported to all Europe, such as avocados, mangos, chirimoyas, sugar cane tomatoes, etc.

Here are some images of the Park of the Americas in the town of Motril, where you can find exotic and subtropical species native to different parts of the American Continent and the Pacific. such as Taxodium distichum in the small pond, in the image below.


or the Strelitzias in full bloom.


There are some apartment and hotel developments in the area and the vegetation is 
consistent with the climate.











And then here is the sea, Kms, of beaches that in summer are crowded, but my favorite moment is winter when you can walk and enjoy the mild weather.  there are some good spots with consistent winds for enjoyment of wind-kitesurf lovers have the most fun all year round.



And I cannot forget the agriculture, almost the most important economic sector in the area, this is where all the greenhouse cultivation started decades ago and has been the engine of economic growth in the region.  Most of is for export to Europe and other countries.  The controversy of growing down plastic has forced to change habits and now outdoors organic cultivation is growing rapidly.



My favorite: avocado and chirimoya orchards, hectares and hectares of them!



Living the are on the way back to Madrid, here are some snaps of the geography with the Sierra Nevada mountains on the background, just outside of Granada city. 


In this picture you can see how the landscape changes for subtropical to continental 
vegetation as the route heads North. 


I hope you have enjoyed the virtual trip!

Comments

I've never visited this part of Spain so it was nice to tour it virtually. Interesting to see some of the same plants from my part of the world there.
Oh my goodness: It looks like paradise, truly! It reminds me of S. California here in the U.S. I suppose it makes sense that some of the same vegetation and agricultural crops would thrive in both places. I wonder if it is a good destination in February or March? I do hope to visit Spain someday, but it will be hard to pick a specific location. I would love to see Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and some of the wine regions. I'd have to take several vacations to accomplish it! Thanks for taking us on this virtual tour!
lula said…
Thanks Karin, I love knowing how much alike many regions in the world can be in terms of vegetation. Let me know when you have the chance to visit and we could tour it together!
lula said…
Thanks Liz, It definitely felt like paradise in Xmas! You know about the five Mediterranean climates? California is one of them. I´ve never been to California but I know from books, films and friends that has a very similar geography, climate and vegetation and. February or March would be perfect, not for swimming, water if from the West can be really cold, but it should be sunny and around 18ºC average. I will help you with choosing places to visit when you travel to Spain, I know well the South but my favorite parts are in the North, I really prefer cold climates!