A LOVELY DAY TO END MY TIME IN GRANADA ...

I have so enjoyed being here and regret that tomorrow I will be travelling on to Seville, although I look forward to discovering more of Spain's wealth - her beautiful old cities.

On my last afternoon here, some of us walked along the river which flows between old stone walls. Along the paths which follow the river at the foot of the walls we saw a flock of large geese, slowly treading the much-used pathway and many well-fed cats playing hide and seek amongst the bushes. We browsed in the old Artesan and handicraft shops, sat on the stone walls watching the water below, drank good coffe and shared our thoughts on the places we had been to so far.

In the evening, the Hostel guide took us back into this area, and the river was full of the reflections of dancing lights. Every Tapas Bar was overflowing with locals and hostellers sharing drinks and the delicious tapas which accompany them. We spent time in a really old inn with huge wooden ceiling beams. The ceiling and walls were covered in old painted murals, slightly dimmed by the ages of smoke. Every Spaniard appears to smoke and it has been hard to get used to the smoke-filled rooms and even outside, so many people smoke that you really can't get away from it. The Tapas system is great, you order any drink and with it comes a plate of delicious appetisers. No wonder they never seem to go home at night . Dinner and drinks all evening in a great atmosphere where everyone knows each other.

Replete with wine and food, we went to a wonderful Flamenco performance. We were fortunate to have been invited to a private Flamenco club, where the real Spanish Gypsy Flamenco music, singing and dancing is fostered and kept alive by the club members. It was such a good evening, and the performances were so powerful and so much talent on the stage.

During my stay at the Hostel, we were treated to two 'all you can eat' nights, which were just that. A fellow traveller and chef (who has taken time off to stay in Granada because he likes it so much), cooks a 3 course meal in the Hostal kitchen and then follows it up with a 'Death by Chocolate' dessert. Nobody goes out to eat on those nights! The food is too good and all for Euro 5.50.

The Hostal also has free Spanish lessons twice weekly by a Spanish teacher no less. Sorry to say that not a lot of the hostellers attended these lessons, but I didn't miss out on them. It was good to be exploring Spanish again and I have decided to go back to TAFE classes when I get back home and finish off the learning process.

Tomorrow, I move on to Seville. Have already been on the local bus to find the Bus Station from where the Seville Buses leave. I know a lot of people don't do this and are quite happy to trust that they will arrive where they should be on the day. However, I have accepted that everyone is different and I can't feel comfortable unless I have done a 'dummy run' when I go there to buy my ticket the day after I arrive anywhere. I leave early in the morning and it is a 3 1/2 hour run up to Seville.

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