Vivos los Novios!

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It had been years since I had seen Elena. Back in the summer of 2004, we had waved goodbye to one another having spent a wonderful six months together in the French city of Strasbourg. And, now here I am, in 2008, on my way to her wedding.

Friday 17 October: A road trip at last. Hooray. Richard and I land in sunny Almeria, collect our rental car and head north to the City of Granada. The journey offers us panoramic views and the best of southern Spain as we drive through the dry arid mountainous regions of the south. With curiosity and interest we observe the varying landscape as we drive further north and into more greener pastures. It's beautiful to see nature so vivid and so alive. Three hot and sticky hours later we take the turnoff for Granada and right off the roundabout stands the cool and corporate hotel Nazaries. It's the five star hotel in which Elena and Guillermo are holding their wedding and we decided to make the most of the guest rate. Or more to the point, I insisted on it. So we find ourselves at the check-in desk handing over our keys to the concierge who will park our car whilst we go and check in to the room. We finally meet Elena and her mother late that afternoon, in their last minute preparations for the wedding. They are wonderfully welcoming, and although we understand very little of what the family communicate in Spanish, they exude love and warmth. As a linguist, it's one of the things I love about foreign languages - they are humbling. Foreign languages force us to really communicate as human beings. They force us to connect and align at a level deeper than words. And they communicate meanings far greater. That evening we are invited to dinner in town with the happy couple and some friends. Rich and I walk there, through the bustling vivacious streets of Granada that are waking up and returning to life after the siesta. Lights, laughter, warmth and colour fill the City. It's time to party.

Saturday 18 October: We make it to the breakfast room for 10am and see Elena's family getting stuck in to the marvellous buffet arrangement. The room is huge. Laid out neatly with white linen tablespreads and blue napkins. Waitresses in black and white scurry around clearing plates and serving coffee. As ever, Richard breakfasts like a king, with three servings of food. I manage some cereal and bread and egg - more than I need but I want to make sure I have enough energy to fuel the shopping spree that lies ahead! Elena walks into the room looking a little tired. She tells us she had very little sleep during the night owing to some late night hotel party goers. Oh no. Still, as chirpy as ever she greets us with a smile and gets on with her day. We (or I should say, I), am on a mission to shop! Four long hours after trawling the clothes shops of Granada, a grumpy Richard drags me back to the hotel room for siesta. We wake at 6pm, to get ready for the wedding. Unfortunately it's cold and rainy today, and the silk dress does not provide warmth. The taxi arrives and takes us to the church. There are many many people in the small square 'Plaza de la Universidad', all dressed in beautiful elegant clothing. We enter the grand church and take our seats. I've never found the beauty nor elegance that so many eyes see in churches, but I am glad nonetheless to be attending my very first church wedding. The chords chime for the bride's entry. All heads turn as Elena's father walks her down the aisle. She looks stunning. Elena has remembered everything down to the very last detail. As accommodating as ever to her guests, she has made an English translation of the service for the four of us non-Spanish speakers. After the ceremony, we head back to the hotel, my feet aching in four inch high stilettos, all in the name of looking-good. Sigh. At the hotel we have time for a short rest before cocktails on the terrace. Fortunately it had stopped raining and we enjoy mingling. Moreover, the wine and tapas being dished up on silver trays are delicious and very moreish. Vol au vents, fish bites, shrimps on cocktail sticks, cheese, red meats, ham - all wash down well with the full bodied red wine. We both try our very best not to stuff our faces with the small eateries in order to save space for dinner. Luckily we are saved by the bell. At 10pm we are called in to the dining room. And what a dining room it is - the round tables are neatly arranged around the room, covered in white cloth, huge plates, cutlery and wine glasses. I pick up the menu and the gentleman next to me walks me through the five course meal we are about to indulge in. Five courses?! Five?! To start with lobster, smoked salmon and king prawns on a bed of salad. Next, cream of pumpkin soup with ham. Then a vodka based orange sorbet. Next thing is pork, plaited with bacon and served with vegetables. And finally, dessert and a half. It tastes divine. All of it. The champagne arrives and we make a toast to the bride and groom “viva los novios!”. t's after midnight. Dancing time. Dancing like I have never seen it. The bride, groom and their parents all take the dance floor in an extraordinary display of talent, romance and class. The rest of us join the dancefloor and party til 5am (with more nibbles served at 3am, of course).

Sunday 19 October: A lie in is a luxury in which we do not indulge. Breakfast is only served til 11am and we must make the buffet. It looks like it's set to be a nice day for the tourist visit to the Alhambra. Breakfast is great, and we manage to snipe a few goodies for a picnic. We visit the famous Alhambra and the Nazrid Palace. I won't comment much on those, for my attitude was less than attractive. For all my travels, I have always been more interested in the locals, the foods, and the vibes of a place than the historical attractions it has to offer. So for much of the day, I trawled along hopelessly disinterested behind an enthusiastic, camera clicking Richard. After the visit , we walk down the hill into town, arriving in Plaza Nueva in search of eateries. All the usual tourist garb is in the vicinity, in particular the Arabic places on the fringes of the Albaycin. We are both exhausted but in want of a more authentic experience, climb uphill into the Albaycin. An altogether exhausting day.

Monday 20 October: Today we check-out of Hotel Nazaries and leave Granada. I am glad. The hotel seems awfully lonely after the wedding festivities. Elena's guests had filled the hotel with people and with atmosphere. Now, we are here alone and it seems a bit pointless. Even the breakfast was a lonesome affair in the downstairs restaurant! I filled the emptiness with food. Lots of it. I ate cereal, eggs, tomatoes, cheese, bread, chocolate pancakes..... ugh. Practically unable to move with the weight of the food and the guilt combined I am glad the next leg of our journey is in the car. By 11am the concierge pulls up outside the hotel just as we walk out of the lobby. Perfect. We load our cases into the car and take a quick look at the map. It seems easy enough - we simply head east on the single highway that veers around the Sierra Nevada mountains. We stop only to have a quick break and fuel up at Sorbas, a sleepy town en-route to the east coast. The centre of town is dead. We do find an open patisserie where we buy some goodies and sit in the town square to munch. Before long we are in the beach town of Mojacar. Although this is one of the quieter more unspoilt areas of the Spanish coast it still seems touristy after the city break in Granada. We find our apartment up on a hilltop and unpack for the stay. One of the joys of self catering living is being able to eat in, cook simple food and chill out on the sofa. So we did just that. We bought fresh white fish from the supermarket, opened a bottle of white wine and ate in front of the television. Yum.

Tuesday 21 October: As I stir, I catch glimpse of the sun rising over the sea from our bed. If that view wasn't enough to bring joy into the day, the promise of a gloriously sunny day certainly was. We lie in but rise early enough to enjoy breakfast on the balcony and then head south over the windy mountain roads to Carboneras, where we find a secluded spot of beach. We spread out in the sun and bake.
After some lunch we decide to continue on the road into the Cabo de Gata national park to enjoy the landscape. We drive through industrial Carboneras and through small town of Agua Amarga. Both are cute but we've had enough sun and travel for the day. Richard offers me the keys but having seen those bendy roads round the mountain, which, this time would be heading UP the hill - no way was I going to attempt driving up those. Back at the apartment we chill out.

Wednesday 22 October: I am nervous for two reasons - Richard is diving today. And, I am driving him there. Of course it all turns out okay. I spend hours on the beach, fall asleep and wake to find that I have a stripey body. Swim in the apartment pool. Eat out. Disturbed sleep owing to strong rainstorms and wind thrashing through the night.

Thursday 23 October: More rain. Nothing to do but eat. And eat. In town, we go to a perfect restaurant only because it boasts fifteen home made pieces of pure pleasure for dessert. I've narrowed my choices down to three: the peanut butter ice cream pie, the walnut and tia maria chocolate slice with a shot of baileys, or the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. I take the latter two. Richard has an almond meringue with fresh berries. The photos speak for themselves. I wash it down with some hot water and lemon. We then run around and play in the fresh sea air and on the wet sand. My desserts are beginning to digest. After thinking that I couldn't possibly eat any more that week, we end up at Sarah Botham's restaurant Los Pepes for dinner. Highly recommended.

Friday 24 October: Back to Old Blighty.

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