The adventure begins!

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Friday, September 14

We spent Tuesday night, the 10th, at the Radisson at PDX. Our alarm was set for 3:30 am, but neither of us really slept that night. Up at 3:30 and on the 4:30 shuttle to the airport. By 4:45 we were checked in for our 7:15 flight to Newark. The flight was uneventful and once in Newark we had a five hour lay over. We had passes to the United Club so we went there, found comfortable chairs, enjoyed several glasses of complimentary wine, and various snacks. We visited with an older woman who was on her way from Phoenix to Edinburgh Scotland to visit her daughter's family and then with a couple from Florida who were returning from a trip to England. We talked on the phone to all the kids and my parents and finally it was time to board the plane. When the plane took off we looked across to Manhattan and saw the two beams of light that represent the World Trade Centers - we were flying on September 11th and were well aware of that, but this was a solemn reminder of that horrible day, twelve years ago now. I had thought of it in the morning while going through security realizing that I had been in that exact same spot, at the same time, twelve years ago. That flight to DC was interrupted after the second plane hit the twin towers, and we were returned to Portland. I thought of how much my life has changed since then.



We paid for "Economy Plus," which basically means your knees are not up around your ears the entire flight, but we had three across and so shared seven hours with another woman. We both slept a little bit and watched some movies and in spite of the panic I felt as I sat on the runway anticipating 7 hours of discomfort, we made it to Madrid without my making a scene.



Passport control in Madrid is magical - it took less than a minute from entering the line to being cleared. Our luggage took much longer. We were starting to get tense wondering what to do if our bags didn't appear and finally they popped through the floppy plastic strips. What a relief! In the next minutes we bought a SIM card for Sam's phone and called the Peugeot people about our car. The van came and retrieved us and Pablo took us back to the Peugeot lot where we picked up our leased car. The car had 12 kilometers of use when we pulled out of the parking lot. It is a great car, very tight with lots of power, a diesel, 5 speed and we have named the British accented GPS woman "Penelope." She is much calmer than "Hilda" who resides in our GPS and gets very disturbed when we make a wrong turn. Penelope simply tells you where to go next until you are back on route rather than stating that she is "R-E-C-A-L-C-U-L-T-I-N-G, (you loser)," each time, like Hilda does.



Leaving the Madrid airport is simple - there is a ring road that goes all the way around Madrid. We were on it immediately, traffic was light, the signs are frequent and accurate, and in no time we were on the A-4 headed south towards Granada. Neither of us felt sleepy but soon Sam's head was bobbing about and I kept feeling like I had just woken up from a brief dream. Looking back, we should have stopped and napped, but we just wanted to get to Granada. We did stop at an Autogrill and Sam had a caffe solo, I had a caffe con leche and a tortilla of eggs, potatoes and cheese. It was delicious.



We arrived in Granada several hours earlier than predicted and, thanks to Penelope and her patient nature, we found our apartment with relative ease. We parked on the street nearby, connected with Vincente, the nephew of Cristobel who owns the place, and we carried our stuff up the circular staircase to our little home for the next two days. The apartment is compact, but bigger than others we have rented in European cities. The kitchen is big and bright, recently remodeled in all IKEA products; the bathroom is plenty large, with the usual disproportionate amount of space given to the bidet when what it really needs is counter space and a larger shower; there is a tiny living room and a very large bedroom. We paid Vincente, arranged for a 14:00 check out on Saturday and immediately collapsed on the bed.



After naps of nearly two hours we dragged ourselves out of bed. We felt miserable, but knew that we needed to get out and move. We wandered down to the Grand Via and located the bus stop we would need for the Alhambra bus, then we walked around the significant foot print of the Cathedral, finally grabbing a table at a tapas restaurant. Sam had a beer and I had Tinto de Verona, a red wine with lemonade, and we were brought a beautiful tapa of lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and chicken all seasoned with salt, oregano, olive oil and vinegar. It was delicious and filling. Sam ordered a second beer and the next tapa was empanadas, very hot from the oven. For less than 10 euro we had our fill of snacks and drinks. Three men with guitars came and performed for those of us sitting outside and when the hat was passed we tossed in some coins. It was a perfect start to our trip.



We wandered back to our apartment with a quick stop at the mercato for coffee, milk, yogurt, muesli, wine, cheese and Serrano ham, and after showers we settled into bed for the night. Sam fell asleep almost immediately but I read for quite awhile listening to the sounds of the neighborhood, which included barking dogs, but finally I turned out my light and slept soundly until 4:00 am.



The alarm insisted that we get up at 6:30 am, and after only a tiny bit of resistance, we were out of bed and I was working on the Spanish version of the Moka pot with hopes of brewing acceptable coffee. We were not disappointed. The coffee was strong, but smooth and the muesli and yogurt were wonderful. We bought a huge bag of muesli that includes oats, 30% fruit, nuts, flax, and who knows what else, for less than two euro. This bag at home would have been at least 7 dollars.



Showered and out the door by 8:30 and we walked confidently down to our bus stop. The Alhambra bus was waiting at the stop, we paid our 1 Euro 20 each, and off we went. The distance from the bus stop to the Alhambra is probably less than a mile, but following the streets it took nearly 30 minutes. We wound around the ancient neighborhoods and watched moms walking their kids to school-many kids in uniforms; all moms dressed up with make-up and looking great. At one point our bus had to pass another coming down the hill and neither could get over - we had cars parked on the road beside ours and the other bus had a wall, but somehow we inched past each other and I am certain that barely a tissue would have fit between the two buses at the closest point.

By 9:30 we had retrieved our tickets. This process amazed me - I bought the tickets on line in May and, once at the Alhambra, I put in the same credit card I had used to purchase them (thank you Rick Steves for the video that showed how to do this), and out popped our two tickets which ensured our entrance to the Alhambra (which is unlikely day-of due to the number of visitors), and confirmed that we were to enter the palace at 13:30 - not earlier, and no later. We wandered about the Generalife gardens and enjoyed the cool morning air; few others who were there with us. By 13:00 we had toured the Generalife, the Alcazar, and the Palace of Charles V, which included an art museum where Sam got free admission with his European Union passport(!), and where I witnessed the most moving crucifixion painting ever - Mary at the foot of the cross with the crown of thorns and three stakes.



We had tickets to enter the Nasrid Palace at 13:30 and for months we have been reminded that you must be there in time or you will not be permitted to enter. We were in line by 13:05! This was the only part of our day that really felt crowded and touristy. It was difficult to get photos that did not include strangers, and everywhere we could hear tour guides giving detailed descriptions in various languages. The groups move in masses and it is a challenge to get around them. The palace is amazing with beautiful gardens and fountains and ornate walls and floors, but in the end we agreed that we had enjoyed our early, peaceful morning in the Generalife gardens much more.



We walked back down to the centro storico and found a restaurant for lunch. It was the wrong choice- Sam had a beer and I had red wine and gazpacho, but the waitress would not even look at Sam so he was unable to order any food. We left after finishing what she had delivered and then stopped at the market for bread and came back to our apartment for bread, cheese, Serrano ham and red wine.



We took on lots for our first day after so much travel, and we did well. Sam is asleep as I am writing this but I hope we can go out later this evening to view the Alhambra all lit up at night.

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