Granada and Holy Week or Semena Santa

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We flew down from Barcelona on Sunday evening to the little Granada airport where the weather doesn't require jetways and you deplane from both from and back directly to the Tarmac, just like 1977. The flight was fairly full and we had across the aisle seats. LC got "lucky" and had a young mom and baby next to him, but she was the happiest infant and didn't cry at the pressure changes. I had an open seat between me and the Spanish business man on the window, but there were not many empties, as there usually aren't these days. We took a taxi into the Hotel Abba and it was just about sunset.

Granada is at base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It's in a setting not unlike the Northwest. The City is at about 2,200 ft and the Mountains are close, less than 50 miles south and rise to about 9,000 ft. They are snow covered right now and are the most Southernly Ski Area in Europe. Another 50 miles south is the Mediterranean, the Costa de Tropical and the Costa de Sol..."the Spanish Rivera"

We have been in town three nights now and will be here through the week. It is Holy Week and the time when many Spanish people take a week or 10 days of vacation. Life revolves around the religious holidays in this part of the world. People travel to southern Spain to witness and be part of the Christian processions and Catholic masses the go on daily. The processions are something to see and be part of. The entire altar piece of a church will we lifted on the shoulders of the parishioners and moved very slowly out of the doors of the church and paraded through the streets followed by a marching band in full uniform. Mother Mary is on the Altar and the people cry and cheer and sing and carry on. This happen during the daytime and in the evening. The Processions are both sad and joyous. It's quite a thing to witness.

We will be here until Easter Sunday.

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