There's a chill in the air

Over the past few days, we've had a cold snap in Spain. This has brought back some memories of winter in England, sending a chill down my spine!

You see, we "malagueños" (people born and bred in Málaga or its province) are not used to day temperatures staying below 7 or 8 degrees Centigrade. Not surprisingly, the cold weather has been on everyone's lips lately. It's probably been more talked about than it is in England (which says it all).

It wasn't until I moved to that country that I started to feel the cold. I was living in Buckinghamshire at the time - where temperatures would range between -5 and 5 degrees Centigrade - so it was bitterly cold for someone from southern Spain!

Of course, there are high-altitude areas in Málaga where temperatures may be as low as in Buckinghamshire. Some towns and villages in this province where you can really feel the cold are Ronda, Archidona, Antequera, Alfarnate, etc. But I live in a village that is situated at only 340 metres above sea level, which is not saying much when you consider that Spain is a hilly and mountainous country. A relatively large number of villages, towns and cities lie at an altitude of over 1,000 metres above sea level - that's about 3,300 feet.

The only thing I like about the cold is the possibility of snow and, unfortunately, the novelty soon wears off. As I said in an earlier post, I don't particularly like the heat, but I'd rather endure cold weather than the stifling heat in summer. After all, who wants to be sweating all day long?

Oh well, let's hope we don't have many of these cold snaps in the next few months. Southern Spain typically enjoys a mild, rainy winter (Mediterranean climate), with snow falling mostly on the "sierras". 

Talking of sierras, there is a mountainous area in Málaga called the "Serranía de Ronda" which includes the "Sierra de las Nieves" (Snowy Sierra) where you can see lots of snow in a normal winter. If you ever visit Ronda at that time, you may see beautiful snow-capped mountains in the background. That scene will probably take the chill off your visit!