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Published: July 27th 2006
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Granada - home to the incredible Alhambra
Granada itself is lovely, and I think we would have stayed longer if we hadn't suddenly realised that we've got a visa imposed deadline for getting into (and out of) Russia, and we haven't managed to make it out of Spain yet. We did find enough time for more tapas (thanks Gal) and for Dal to get a haircut though.
The Alhambra was a fitting finale to the wonderful Spanish Moorish buildings we'd seen in Cordoba and Seville. It's basically a castle, palaces and amazing gardens on the top of a hill surrounded by huge defensive walls and towers. The castle (Alcazaba) is a solid massive bulk on the hill, with great views over Granada. Next to it are the Nasrid palaces, all beautifully decorated in the Moorish style. It's a special place and we went totally mad taking photos here. The castle and palaces are set in gorgeous gardens, but there are also the seperate Generalife gardens, which seem to have been the King/Sultan's summer palace. Not only beautiful but a great place to escape the heat. It's starting to feel like it's been weeks since we've been in
comfortable temperatures. We hear that the same is true of London as well though.
The Trenhotel
Since trains are such a focus of this trip for us, we have to mention the Renfe Trenhotel which we caught from Granada to Barcelona. It's a totally civilized way to travel. You get on at 9pm, meet your room mates (four to a cabin, girls in separate rooms to boys) and then head to the bar and drink beers while the train races you past beach after beach as the sun sets. Off to comfy beds (though too short for those above 6") being gently rocked to sleep by the motion of the train. Wake up at Tarragona about 8am. Head to the dining car and eat pastries and drink coffee while looking longingly at the sandy beaches and blue sea racing past the window. And then with a gentle bump, arrive in Barcelona. Perfect.
Port Bou - a gentle welcome to the Costa Brava
We didn't stop in Barcelona because we were looking for a break from the heat and somewhere where we wouldn't feel the need to race around looking at the sites.
Port Bou, on the Costa Brava, and right on the border with France, fits those criteria perfectly.
Port Bou seems to be typical of the Costa Brava. A wee town built on the sides of hills that run right down to the water's edge, with one small beach, and a series of other bays that can be reached by walking along a path around the coast. It's not necessarily a pretty town with its fair share of ugly modern places and it's probably seen better days, but it had a really nice feel about it; relaxed and friendly. And it had loads of clean clear blue water for us to cool off in. Just what we were after.
What we didn't fancy was the after effects of lying on the beach for too long without sunblock. We both managed to get a solid dose of sunburn which has only really just stopped itching. It's not much fun carrying backpacks on sunburnt shoulders. And Dal does get very down when he's not feeling well. Sorry Mum, we should know better.
Aix en Provence
We wanted to go to Aix en Provence after our friends Sharon
and Alex told us about it. It took four different trains to get us there, but it was worth it. It's a lovely place full of beautiful fountains, avenues of trees, and a pretty old town with winding alleys and squares filled with open air restaurants. It's hard to describe what is so captivating about it, but it's gone onto Dal's list of 'Places to go Back To'. Probably something to do with the wonderful food markets, and all the restaurants.
We took a trip out into the countryside near Aix to see St Victoire, the huge rock massif which dominates the skyline in this area. The countryside is gorgeous, dry, rocky and hilly, but covered in greenery. And St Victoire is just massive, quite awe inspiring. We tried to get some good photos of it, but they really don't convey the scale of it.
Menton - Cote d'Azur
We were using Menton as a stopover before heading onwards to Italy. The train route took us from Marseille right along the edge of the coast through such famous Cote d'Azur resorts as Cannes, Antibes and Nice.
We'd booked the Auberge de Juenesse (youth hostel)
for the night, only to find that, according to a friendly Gendarme, it was 'at the top of the hill'. We've been on the road for 7 weeks and have lasted this far, how hard could a little walk be? Half an hour and almost 400 vertical steps later, we found out! It took us a few hours and a cold shower to stop sweating, but it was worth it for the view (and the cheap accomodation - although it's been a while since we've had plastic sheets on the bed!). It was also worth it for the great meal we had in the restaurant in the adjoining campsite. Food, wine and views down the Cote d'Azur as the light faded from the sky. Did someone say romantic (or faux-mantic)?
Monaco
D - It's all about money. How can I describe this place without being in the fiscally gifted position to enjoy it? It's filthy. It's eveything to excess. It's where the rich come to show off in front of the hoi polloi. The cars. The shops. The clothes. The sunglasses. The casinos. The boats. Yes, the boats. I'd like to like it, but it is
so excessive, I can't.
Except for one thing. They hold an F1 Grand Prix here annually! The commentators say each year that it is madness to hold such an event here. To see the streets for yourself though, you realise that they are right, it is insane. I dragged Abbie around for a happy hour photographing every last inch of red and white kerbing, avoiding being run down by the next passing Bentley/Bugatti/Maserati/Rolls Royce/GT40, and spotting Jodie Kidd in her black Ferrari!
It's also the place where the only other famous Grover is commemorated. Apparently a spy and a winning Formula 1 driver - enough glamour for all the Grovers put together!
We also visited the Aquarium. This was mainly for two reasons. 1) It was air conditioned. 2) It had fish. And it's about the best we've ever visited. Everything from sharks to seahorses.
We swung by the palace for the changing of the guard. Not at all like the English version. These guys were dressed head to foot in white, had policemans helmets on (also in white), had no horses (making them very hard to see) and guns. Machine guns. Not white. Black. And
shiny. And waving around. I hope they never go mad in the heat. That could be messy considering the number of tourists watching. Bit of a heaving sweaty mass they were, so we 'got the shot' and made a sharp exit.
A - For those of you wondering if we've been close to killing each other again, there is no need to worry. Whenever Dal starts to get out of hand I offer to play German Whist with him (this is a card game we read about somewhere and had to learn out of sheer boredom on long train trips). For reasons I can't quite figure out he almost always wins... But when I can't take the losing anymore we play fish. I always win that!
Where to next?
We're now in Florence, Italy. This is just a two centre stop. Two days here, then three in Rome, before jumping on a train to Bari then an overnight ferry to Dubrovnik in Croatia. Hope we've not lost you all with our insane babbling... Dal and Ab xxx
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Tim
non-member comment
Nice hat Daren