East from Almería to Granada

As I drive east out of Almería, dazzled by the morning sun bouncing off the Mediterranean, I mentally check off all the movies that have been shot here. They are legion, since the karst and schist sierras make perfect substitutes for Arabia and the Far West or convincing backdrops for Indiana Jones. Banditos ahoy! Spiking the horizon, I spot Lawrence of Arabia’s perfect props, palm trees sagging with huge clusters of fresh yellow dates. Yet nobody here seems to pick them—have they forgotten how?