DAYS 141&15 - MONSANTO TO LISBON TO GRANADA:

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WE WOKE UP AROUND 6AM SO WE'D LEAVE BY 7AM, TO REACH LISBON BY 11AM TO RETURN OUR RENTAL CAR. THE ONLY PROBLEM WE HAD GETTING TO LISBON WAS THE MAJOR TRAFFIC JAM NEAR THE END. IT TOOK LIKE 30 MINUTES TO TRAVEL 3 MILES! WE LOCATED THE CORRECT EXIT FROM MY DIRECTIONS, BUT SINCE THEY WERE FOR THE AIRPORT AND WE WERE GOING TO THE BUS STATION, WE PROMPTLY GOT LOST... FOR OVER AN HOUR! WE FINALLY SORT OF GAVE UP AND STOPPED A TAXI. HE TOLD US HE'D LEAD US THERE FOR THE PRICE OF A FAIR, 7 EUROS. BY THAT POINT IT SOUNDED LIKE A STEAL. WE ALSO PROBABLY USED UP A BIT OF THE FULL TANK OF GAS WE'D ENSURED WHEN WE EXITED THE HIGHWAY, BUT THE AVIS AGENT DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING.

AFTER TURNING IN OUR RENTAL CAR, WE LOCATED THE BAGGAGE STORAGE ROOM IN THE BUS/TRAIN STATION, SINCE IT WAS ONLY 11:3OAM AND OUR BUS TO SEVILLA WOULDN'T LEAVE UNTIL 10PM. LUCKILY, WE FOUND A LARGE ENOUGH LOCKER TO HOLD BOTH OUR 'SUITCASES' AND MY BACKPACK. AFTER YOU STOW YOUR GEAR, YOU HAVE TO INSERT 2.50 EUROS (FOR THE LARGEST LOCKER), AND THAT ONLY LOCKS IT AND COVERS THE FIRST HOUR. THE MACHINE KNOWS WHICH LOCKER AND PRINTS OUT A RECEIPT WITH A 5-DIGIT CODE YOU ENTER WHEN YOU RETURN TO PICK IT UP. AT THAT TIME, IF MORE THAN AN HOUR HAS PASSED, YOU HAVE TO DEPOSIT THE DISPLAYED AMOUNT IN ORDER TO OPEN YOUR LOCKER. WE LEFT OUR STUFF THERE UNTIL 9PM, SO WE WOULDN'T BE ENCUMBERED BY IT, AND ENDED UP PAYING AN ADDITIONAL 6.50 EUROS, BUT IT WAS WORTH IT.

WITH OUR BAGS SAFELY STORED AWAY, WE WALKED DOWN NEAR THE OCEAN, ONLY A COUPLE OF BLOCKS AWAY, FOUND A NICE DRY WALL TO SIT ON, AND ATE THE LUNCH THE TAVERN OWNER IN MONSANTO HAD PROVIDED. THE SANDWICH WAS A BIT DRY WITH NO MAYONNAISE, BUT WITH GOOD HAM, CHEESE, AND FRESH BREAD, IT HIT THE SPOT. WE ALSO MADE A COUPLE OF LITTLE BIRDS HAPPY WITH OUR BREAD CRUSTS. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF INTERESTING SIGHTS/BUILDINGS ALONG THE OCEANFRONT, MOSTLY COURTESY OF THE WORLD EXPO THAT WAS HELD HERE IN 1998. AFTER LUNCH, WE JUST SORT OF STROLLED AROUND, WINDOW SHOPPING, HAVING A CAFE COM LEITE (COFFEE WITH MILK), AND THEN FINALLY DINNER INSIDE THE LARGE SHOPPING CENTER ACROSS FROM THE BUS STATION. THEY HAVE A RATHER LARGE FOOD COURT WITH A BIG VARIETY OF FOODS, FROM CHINESE, TO ITALIAN, TO MCDONALDS, BURGER KING, KFC, AND EVEN PIZZA HUT. WE CHOSE A MEDITERRANEAN PLACE THAT HAD PRETTY GOOD STUFF. I HAD A GRILLED MEAT PLATE AND MANOLI HAD A VERY STUFFED PITA WRAP.

AFTER DINNER, WE RECOVERED OUR BAGS FROM THE STORAGE ROOM AND HEADED TO THE FURTHEST AWAY BUS LANE TO AWAIT OUR BUS. IT SHOWED UP PRETTY MUCH ON TIME, AND WE WERE OFF. WE'D INTENDED TO SLEEP ALOT ON THE BUS, SINCE WE WOULDN'T BE ARRIVING IN SEVILLE UNTIL 6AM THE NEXT MORNING, BUT BETWEEN THE BATHROOM/STRETCH STOP, THE STOP I THINK THE DRIVER MADE FOR EITHER FOOD OR RESTROOM, AND THE DIFFICULTY IN GETTING COMFORTABLE ENOUGH ON A BUS, NEITHER MANOLI NOR I DID MUCH MORE THAT NAP HERE AND THERE. WE ARRIVED IN SEVILLE AT THE PLAZA DE ARMAS STATION A BIT EARLY, AND VERY BEAT. NOTHING IN THE STATION WAS OPEN YET, BUT WE FOUND A TICKET MACHINE THROUGH WHICH WE WERE ABLE TO PURCHASE TWO TICKETS ON THE NEXT BUS TO GRANADA, AT 8:15AM. WHEN THE CAFETERIA OPENED AT 7AM, WE ANXIOUSLY GRABBED A COUPLE OF COFFEES, USED THE RESTROOM, AND BOARDED OUR BUS TO GRANADA. I'M ACTUALLY WRITING THIS PORTION ON THE BUS. YES, THEY HAVE FREE WIFI, BUT NO TOILET, AGAIN.

WE ARRIVED IN GRANADA AFTER ABOUT 3 HOURS ON THE ROAD, MAKING ONE STOP ALONG THE WAY. WE HEADED STRAIGHT TO THE CAFETERIA FOR SOME COFFEE AND CHURROS (LIGHT SPANISH PASTRY), TO GIVE US SOME ENERGY. AGAIN, NEITHER OF US COULD SLEEP ON THE BUS. AS TIRED AS WE WERE AFTER TRAVELING FOR SO LONG WITH SO LITTLE SLEEP, WE OPTED TO TAKE A TAXI TO OUR HOSTEL, EL GRANADO. THE HOSTEL IS RATHER HOMEY AND SIMPLE, SO IT GIVES US A COMFY FEELING. THE LADY THAT CHECKED US IN WAS VERY HELPFUL, EXPLAINING ALL ABOUT THE HOSTEL, AND POINTING OUT PLACES TO SEE AND EAT ON THE MAP SHE PROVIDED. WE ENDED UP IN A SIX-BED MIXED DORM, WITH MY WIFE ON THE 2ND LEVEL OF ONE 3-TIER BUNKBED AND I ON THE BOTTOM BUNK OF ANOTHER. THE BEDS ARE COMFORTABLE ENOUGH, BUT PLACED A BIT TOO CLOSE TOGETHER VERTICALLY. WE RECEIVED KEYS TO THE FRONT DOOR AND OUR INDIVIDUAL LOCKER. THE LOCKERS ARE LARGE ENOUGH TO FIT OUR BIG BAGS AND OUR BACKPACKS, WITH ROOM LEFT OVER FOR MISCELLANEOUS. WITH HAVE TWO SHARED BATHROOMS, SORT OF. ONE IS ONLY FOR ONE PERSON AT A TIME (ALTHOUGH MY WIFE AND I CAN SHARE IT), AND THE OTHER HAS TWO SHOWERS, BUT SINCE ITS A UNISEX BATHROOM I DOUBT PEOPLE WILL SHARE IT. BOTH BATHROOMS HAVE LOCKS SO ITS NOT A PROBLEM. THE GROUND FLOOR HAS A SMALL COMMUNAL KITCHEN, LOUNGE AREA, AND PATIO.

AFTER STOWING OUR GEAR, WE WENT STROLLING TO LOCATE THE OFFICE TO GET OUR TICKETS FOR THE TOUR OF THE ALHAMBRA TOMORROW, AND FIND A PLACE TO EAT LUNCH. THE TICKET SITUATION ENDED UP A BIG HASSLE, MOSTLY DUE TO MY ASSUMING THE RECEIPT I PRINTED FROM MY ONLINE ORDER WAS REDEEMABLE AT THE ALHAMBRA TICKET OFFICE. IT TURNS OUT I SHOULD HAVE EITHER RECEIVED AN EMAIL EXPLAINING WHAT TO DO UPON ARRIVAL, OR MAYBE THE SCREEN AFTER MY TICKET PRINTOUT HAD THAT INFORMATION. AFTER GETTING THE HOSTEL LADY TO CALL THE AGENCY FROM THE RECEIPT, WE WERE TOLD THERE WAS NO PROBLEM, JUST SHOW UP AT THE WELCOME VISITOR CENTRE TOMORROW AND THEY WILL TAKE CARE OF US. WE FOUND A PLACE TO EAT TAPAS FOR LUNCH CALLED CASA DE TODOS. WE RECEIVED A FREE TAPA WITH OUR DRINKS (COFFEE AND WATER), WHICH WAS A MEAN AND BEANS MIX IN A SMALL BUN. WE ALSO ORDERED 3 EXTRA TAPAS; ONE OF ARTICHOKE AND ANCHOVY (WHICH I ATE!), ONE OF ENSALADA RUSA (A POTATO SALAD), AND A TORTILLA WITH FRIED PEPPERS. REMEMBER THAT IN SPAIN, TORTILLA IS NOT A FLOUR OR CORN WRAP, BUT A SORT OF POTATO OMELET. WE RETURNED TO THE HOSTEL WHERE I TOOK A SHORT NAP WHILE MANOLI READ, THEN WE WENT BACK OUT FOR DINNER. THIS TIME WE ATE AT THE CAFETERIA GUERRERO BECAUSE IT SEEMED NICE AND NOT EXPENSIVE. THEY HAD A VERY GOOD SELECTION OF FOOD AT REASONABLE PRICES. MANOLI ORDERED A MIXED SALAD AND I HAD A COMBO PLATE WITH PORK CUTLETS, FRENCH FRIES, AND CROQUETAS. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT A CROQUETA IS YOU'LL HAVE TO LOOK IT UP, BECAUSE I CAN DESCRIBE IT VERY WELL. MY PORK CUTLETS WERE TENDER AND COOKED WELL, BUT HAD NO SEASONING AT ALL, THE FRENCH FRIES WERE FRESH AND GOOD, AND THE CROQUETAS WERE DELICIOUS. BY THE TIME WE FINISHED DINNER, IT WAS ALMOST 11PM, SO WE RETURNED TO THE HOSTEL TO TURN IN. TOMORROW WE VISIT THE WORLD FAMOUS ALHAMBRA.

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