the polythene coast

Spain names each of it's coastal areas to reflect something unique. We were on the Costa Brava north of Barcelona and the Costa Dorada in Delta l'Ebre. It was a great shock to come over the arid Nevada-like hills of Murcia and see the Polythene Coast. The coastal plain of Almeria has the largest concentration of greenhouses on the planet. Towns have been swallowed up. They are vast. We went to one beach where you drove through a greenhouse canyon to reach the beach with greenhouses all the way to the water. Somehow people ignored this odd backdrop and enjoyed the beach. This is the cost of having vegetables and fruit year round. This website has more photos and a short article.