Driving to Pampaneira was another adventure, with narrow, winding roads to the village and then difficulty in finding the hotel, recently moved to the higher part of the village but right on the main road. It was a lovely hotel (Estrella de las Nieves) with lovely accommodations and huge buffet breakfasts. The town square was filled with vendors and revelers. Our main purpose was to hike in the Sierra Nevada, which we did, though in an abbreviated form due to rain.

We first hiked on the opposite side of the river gorge, the Barranco de Poqueira, with views of the three White Villages: Pampaneira, Bubión, and Capileira. Named for their limestone-washed connected houses on slopes tucked into the mountains, these villages were settled by the Moors, where they were allowed to remain into the 16th century. The next day we walked from village to village and then attempted to continue up the river valley, though rain and mud caused our retreat back to Pampaneira. The precipitation in the higher peaks (over 11,000 feet) was snow!

We watched a weaver, Mercedes Carrascosa, and her assistant, who use local wool, silk from Vietnam, and alpaca from Peru to create scarves, shawls, wall hangings, and handbags (assembled by a leatherworker in Malaga).