Month: June 2013

Big day at the Alhambra – sun was warm, steps were steep, views were great, palaces were incredible and gardens were splendid. Feet are weary, knees have aged and camera shutter has got closer to its use by date.

 

 

 

Last night we ate at the same tapa bar as the night before. When we walked in there were at least 50 in the bar about the size of our lounge room. The barman who served us the night before remembered our drinks order and food!

We ditched the Spanish and said, “Thanks, mate just the usual!”

Sharon said we needed a quiet day today to prepare ourselves for the long afternoon in the sun of the Alhambra tomorrow. So we took a leisurely 8 km walk around the town and then a lazy 15 km on Elena’s electric bike tour up and down the many hills of the city.

Elena, our tour guide, is a fit and cheerful old lady of 90 years. You can see a photo of her with Sharon. She suggested we drink, as she always did, from the waters of the spring that was said to hold the fountain of youth. Perhaps it was because it was at the top of a very steep hill or we had other ideas in mind, but  we both guzzled till our bellies were full. I immediately felt the youthful feeling flowing through my body first to my stomach then my lower parts. Perhaps this fountain of youth was the elixir I needed. Then I had to pee.

 

It’s the first ride on the road for Sharon since her op and she had no troubles. Electric bikes! Now they could make you lazy! We tried the Segways, but thought we’d stick to something we know.

Granada is an interesting city with a mix of cultures. There is a large gypsy neighbourhood where the squatters have made homes by tunnelling into the hillsides, then building facades to make their caves appear as houses typical of the town. We entered a gypsy shop on our ride and walked into the cave and it was 15 degrees cooler than outside.

Later, we pedalled through the Arab neighbourhood, an old area with tight winding cobblestone streets ala Morocco with a lot more hills thrown in.  An Arab market here sells many goods of the type we saw on sale in Marrakech, but for three times the price. I guess you pay a premium here not to be hassled to buy by every shopkeeper we pass. I spied boomerangs for sale, stamped Granada, probably made in China.

The food is good. Stop in for a beer and tapa is served for free. We had a lovely tuna and orange salad with one drink, a plate of prawns for another and a large plate of shell fish, cockles perhaps, for another top up. We shared an excellent seafood tapa in a lively bar doing a roaring trade last night and enjoyed it so much we might do the same again tonight.

It’s warmish here. 38 degrees today, like it was yesterday. No one wears a hat, just us.

I sat next to a young girl from Malaga on the plane from Morocco and asked her about bullfighting and her opinion of this sport  as a young person. She was an avid fan and suggested as one of our events in Spain to witness, bullfighting should be definitely close to the top of the list. Most large towns and cities appear to have a bullring and we parked outside this one in Merida. I walked to the front entrance and spied a fresh can of spray paint on the ground in front of this piece of artwork.

There are some in Spain who are  not supporters of the sport.

Walked a few streets of Granada today and viewed the Alambra from a hill opposite, the snow on the Sierra Nevada behind it shining in the 38 degree sunshine at 5:30pm.