Aula· Spain, city by cityAndalucía
Almería
«Almería tiene el único desierto de Europa, el Tabernas.»Almería has the only desert in Europe, the Tabernas.
Almería overlooks the Mediterranean at the south-eastern tip of Spain, in one of the most arid areas of the continent. The city is dominated by the Alcazaba, the great Muslim fortress that closes off the old core, while around it extend the port, the neighbourhoods that grew in the twentieth century, and the expanse of greenhouses that has changed the economy of the entire province.
Did you know
The desert where westerns filmed.
Thanks to its unique desert landscapes, the Almería desert was the set for dozens of famous American western films.
How they talk in Almería
Local words
The Almerian accent shares the aspiration of the final «s» typical of eastern Andalusia. In the province, words linked to intensive agriculture and the dry landscape survive, such as «parral» and «invernadero», which are part of local economic life.
angustia
Nausea or a feeling of nausea. In eastern Andalusia, and particularly in the Almería area, it can indicate nausea where other areas prefer «ansias» or «fatiga».
Everyday life in Almería
You choose the «tapa»
Here the tapa is included with the drink, but it doesn't arrive by chance: the waiter brings a list and you choose. You order your drink by saying which tapa you want, and with every round you try another one.
«Con la caña, la de calamares.» — With the beer, the squid one.
The veladores of the Paseo
The Paseo de Almería is wide and shaded, and the «veladores» — the outdoor tables — occupy it from one end to the other. You sit down at any time, and in the evening it is the spot where the whole city passes by at least once.
«¿Tienen mesa fuera?» — Do you have a table outside?
The dry heat and the «toldos»
In Almería it rains very little and the air is dry, so shade is real shade: two metres under a canopy is enough to feel comfortable. From May to September, the city centre streets have canvases stretched from one side to the other, above your head.
«Vamos por la sombra.» — Let's walk in the shade.
What to eat in Almería
La tapa incluida
As in Granada, the tapa comes included with your drink. Here, however, you choose it from a list, and it is often a miniature version of a real dish.
Chérigan
A slice of toasted bread cut diagonally, with aioli or tomato and an ingredient on top: anchovy, prawn, tuna. It is the most Almerian tapa there is.
Gurullos con conejo
Small-grained wheat pasta stewed with rabbit and saffron: a land dish, not a sea one.
Festivals in Almería
Feria y Fiestas de la Virgen del Mar
the last week of August
You enter under the «Portada», the illuminated arch that is made new every year, and drink to the health of the patron saint of fishermen.
What to see in Almería
Alcazaba
It dominates the old town with three walled enclosures: it is one of the largest Muslim fortresses remaining in Spain.
Cathedral
From the 16th century, built like a fortress: thick walls, towers and loopholes, because the coast was exposed to attacks from the sea.
Cable Inglés
A 1904 iron and glass mineral loading bay, stretching over the port: from there, the mineral from the sierra went directly onto the ships.
Parco Cabo de Gata
A natural park of volcanic origin to the east of the city: coves without buildings, salt flats with flamingos and the most arid landscape in Europe.
Where Almería comes from
Born as a port of the caliphate
c. 3000 BC
Los Millares
Twenty kilometres away, one of the most important Copper Age settlements in Europe.
955
al-Mariyya
Abd al-Rahman III founds it as a port and arsenal for the Caliphate of Córdoba.
11th century
Taifa of Almería
A very wealthy independent kingdom, living on silk and trade with the Mediterranean.
1489 → today
Almería
Taken by the Catholic Monarchs; the 1522 earthquake almost levels it and it has to be rebuilt.
Born here: David Bisbal, singer.
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