Advertisement
Granada We had a sleepy bus ride here a few days ago, entered through the less attractive part of the city and immediately wished ourselves back in beautiful Seville! We walked to the wrong hotel, having gotten confused in our long tripadvisor quest the night before, but found the right one quite quickly. Walking around the neighborhood after checking in gave us a better feel for the city, and we stopped regretting having prepaid for three nights!
Morocco in Granada? We are staying in the old Arab quartier, which is now the new Arab/hippie/hipster area. The streets are similiar to those in a Morocco medina, as they were originally built by the Muslim founders of Granada. We are near the Alhambra, with lots of tapas places on our street. It's noisy here until at least 1:00am, but we are on the inside patio and have double-paned windows, so sleeping is not an issue.
Lots of young people here, many appearing to have been on the hippie trail since birth (or before)...but our hotel has mostly older European couples.
Rain in Spain, Part 2 It poured here a few times in the past days (mostly at
night), but luckily we were not out in the rain, except for some sprinkles. This afternoon it really poured while I was out buying more Arab pastries...and it's raining again now....might as well be home?
Pleasure Gardens We spent our first full day here walking to the viewpoints above the city and then visiting the Alhambra. The visit started out poorly, as Lynn got very upset with the poor signage and seemingly pointless rules about entering the palace. (We were told we had to be at the entrance at 2:30 or we wouldn't be allowed in, even with tickets...and it was very hard to find the
right entrance) After we found the line, and Bill calmed Lynn down a bit, we had a lovely afternoon. But I still like the Alcazar in Seville better!
We are loving the tapas scene here, since they still have free tapas with your drink, unlike most cities in Spain now. Because this is the Arab area, lots of places have vegetarian options...
Today I went on a tour of a Muslim era (1100s) water cistern,one that covered the history of water in the area...total Spanish immersion for an hour...in the
beginning, I was understanding more than half; by the end my brain had turned off.....! We later looked inside the Cathedral (not willing to pay $8/each to walk around), and went to a used clothes shop (I got rid of some clothes...and bought a few...). After a rest, we visited more of the public parts of the Alhambra. I stayed on after Bill went home, and enjoyed a wind/rainstorm with the Alhambra mostly to myself!
Car rented for tomorrow...We'll now be driving until we leave Spain....
Advertisement
Tot: 0.116s; Tpl: 0.02s; cc: 12; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0488s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Carol and Martin McClain
non-member comment
Sevilla y Granada
These two cities are definitely on our list for next Fall or next Spring. We're grateful for the reconnaissance....will be in touch about hotel and climate recommendations. Didn't realize Granada's Spring is as rainy as Detroit's. Abrazos to you both. Carol and Martin