Neblina

Went to the land of the Giant Mountain Fairies this morning. It was quite surreal with the mist rolling over the mountains. I had hoped to see the fairies but I was out of luck. A common feature of the fairies is the use of magic to disguise appearance so they may have been playing a prank on me. They do that from time to time. Good job I have Duende.

Factoid: Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada. The Sierra Nevada National Park was designated a national park in 1998, it is one of only two in Andalucia, the other being the Doñana National Park. It retains its status of natural park, which it has been since 1989, and this covers a marginally smaller area, of 85,777ha. It was declared a Unesco Biosphere Reserve in 1986, in recognition of its exceptionally diverse plant, bird and animal species.

The park has a rich history, with the Tartessians, Visigoths, Romans and Moors all leaving their legacy in the area, which can be still be seen today; for example, the sophisticated irrigation systems inherited from the Moors and the distinctive architecture of the Alpujarras, with their flat-roofed houses, a design brought from north Africa with the Berbers. The Alpujarras have a long tradition of independence; the last Moorish king, Boabdil, famously sheltered here after the fall of Granada. It became the Moors' last refuge in Spain before their 1568 revolt failed and they were forced to leave Spain.

In the west of the park is Solynieve, Europe's southernmost ski resort, where the ski season generally runs from November to April. Apart from skiers and snowboarders at the resort, the park is popular with hikers, climbers and birdwatchers.

Apart from tourism, the economic mainstay of the Sierra Nevada is agricultural produce, with cereal crops, olives, grapes, almonds, walnuts, apples and cherries cultivated here, mainly in the southern foothills of the Alpujarras. Europe's most important iron mine is at Alquife, continuing a mining tradition in the Sierra that once included the extraction of copper and silver as well. Trevélez is renowned for its cured jamón serrano (mountain ham).