Film Sets and Moonrises: Our Unexpected Adventure in Europe's Wild West

Who would expect Europe to have deserts? But here we are, deeply impressed by two of them: the Gorafe Desert and the Tabernas Desert in southern Spain.

The landscapes were simply surreal. Massive rock formations carved by wind and time, dark reds blending into bright yellows and light grays. The colors were not as varied as in Landmannalaugar, Iceland, but the palette had its own quiet drama. Vegetation was sparse. Wildlife barely visible. It felt otherworldly.

We stayed two nights in the Gorafe Desert, mostly alone. When the last 4x4s disappeared, and the British bicycle group passed us with a hopeful glance and a request for gin and tonic, which we sadly had to decline, a deep silence took over. The 10 hours between their departure and the early arrival of morning bikers were profoundly quiet.

You’d see small signs of civilization in the distance, a blinking light from a wind generator, a faint glow from a nearby town. That, too, made it feel different from Iceland. There, it was just us and the elements. Here, it was us and the knowledge that someone, somewhere, was nearby.

We watched the sun set slowly, its last light painting the landscape in dark reds and browns. And almost immediately after, the moon began its quiet ascent. By moon rise, the desert was awash in fifty shades of blue. We sat there for hours, just watching.

After Gorafe, we moved toward the Tabernas Desert. This region holds a special place in European film history. It is where many classic Westerns from the 1960s were shot.

By pure coincidence, we arrived during the Almería Western Film Festival. The small town of Tabernas had transformed into a Western movie set. Locals dressed as cowboys and saloon girls. It felt like stepping into "Once Upon a Time in the West."

We even found the original Sweetwater Ranch from that movie. Standing there, watching the film on our TV, comparing the scenes with the real location was surreal. Over the years, additional buildings were added for other films, so the original film set had changed, but the magic remained.

We also joined several movie screenings in a small local cinema, sitting alongside around 50 other Western film enthusiasts. Who would have thought our desert detour would turn into a mini film pilgrimage?

Now, we're at a campsite near Almería, recharging before the next chapter of our journey begins: Morocco.

We've already met two couples who will be making the journey with us. We shared dinners, stories, and travel itineraries. These spontaneous connections are some of the most valuable parts of travel. Tips were exchanged, ideas planted for future trips.

As we prepare for the long drive from Nador eastward into Morocco's own deserts, we cannot help but feel that this part of the journey connects beautifully with the desert views we just enjoyed in Spain.

Spain’s deserts surprised us with their silence, color, and stories from the Wild West. Now, we are ready to see what Morocco has in store.

Explore. Dream. Discover.