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Published: June 18th 2011
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GRANADA
VIEW FROM THE ROOF Leaving from JFK is never easy. Arrived at the airport at 5:30, a two hour and fifteen minute drive on a Friday afternoon. Klutzy me managed to flop on the sidewalk but appeared to be unhurt. Got in line to check in two people behind Ken and Laura. Rich and Fran were at the counter negotiating flight changes as our flight was delayed until 1:30 am. No point going into detail but after demanding priority security screening to make the “6:00 pm? flight, when we got the gate it was now scheduled to leave at 9:00, the same time as our original flight. MaryLou and I shared a great salad and a glass of wine and relaxed for an hour or so at the bar. Except for a brief interlude of turbulence the flight was smooth and comfortable. MaryLou and I were able to get a good sleep. During the flight my ribs started to ache and got progressively more painful as time went on. By the time we landed it even hurt to clear my throat.
Saturday
Changed planes in Madrid for Granada and got to chatting in the gate area. The fellow was going to Granada for his daughter’s
GRANADA
DECORATIVE SIDEWALK wedding. She met her boyfriend at university and, while both are American, they wanted to get married in Granada. This guy was ex-coasty (Coast Guard) and his son-in-law was an engineer for Liberty Steamship. Before that he sailed on the Cort, the Beeghly, the Jackson and the Lee A. His last name was Kittle (I think). These are all Interlake Steamship owned or operated vessels so he knew many of my old office mates like Brendon and Glen and Mark. It sure is a small world.
Arrive at the hotel, checked in and went to an ATM to get Euros. Then it was time for siesta and I finally took meds for the pain. Strangely, although I have a scrape on my knee I don’t have any bruising on my chest. Will continue on Aleve until I’m better. Dinner was at a little café where they didn’t speak much English but we coped. We had Sangria and complementary tapas and the bill came to a whopping 8e for all three of us.
MaryLou and I went to the rooftop terrace and had another Sangria and tapas while drinking in the beautiful views. Fran went to bed as did Rich, Ken
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DETAIL OF THE PLASTER CEILING and Laura. We chatted and watched the swallows swarm and dart about and the lights of the city come on. It is a neat city.
Sunday
After a wonderful nights sleep, we met for breakfast around eight. The day was warm and sunny with a lovely cooling breeze, perfect touring weather. We taxied to the Alhambra with our guide Martina. She was great, loves the Alhambra and was very knowledgeable. Our morning pass was good from 10:00 to 2:00 and we wandered around until 1:30, missing very little. The gardens were in full flower unlike when I was here last October and although we were under a cloudless blue sky it was pleasant in the shade. It is truly impossible to describe the beauty of the palaces and the Moorish architecture so I won’t even try but I urge you all to visit sometime in your life. It is magical.
We stopped for lunch at a small café. The pepper salad was delicious and the local cervesa (beer) refreshing.
After a short siesta, the gang of six got together for a tour of the Metropolitan Cathedral. This magnificent structure is the third largest cathedral in Spain. Later MaryLou, Fran
GRANADA
THE SIERRA NEVADA AT SUNSET (FROM THE ROOF) and I stopped in the Plaza Nuevo for dinner, paella for MaryLou and me and pizza for Fran. It was ok but the service was wanting. The dishes were delivered as ready and for some reason Marylou’s took forever. But the evening was pleasant and the company fun and we enjoyed ourselves. After a short walk back to the hotel we went “up on the roof” for a glorious view of Granada, the Sierra Nevada Mountains with some snow still on the peaks and the Alhambra.
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