Granada

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Granada

Last night, after dinner, many of us sat in the lobby to watch Futbol, Spain vs. Croatia. It was exciting to be in Spain watching the national team tries to move on to the next round in Euro 2012. It was a close game and well played with Spain coming out the winner 1 to nil. Italy was also playing and handily won their game over Ireland 2 to nil. Both teams move on to the next round. During the game our guide Bozo (pronounced Botho) surprised me with a slice of birthday cake and sang “happy birthday”. A great way to turn 59!

After a good night’s rest we were up at 6:45AM, we got to sleep in an extra 15 minutes, and headed down to breakfast. This was also a buffet but not quite as grand as our first two, but more than enough to start our day. We were on the bus by 8:15, to begin our journey to Granada.

Today was another long day in the bus as Granada is 7 hours south of Valencia. Once again we broke the trip into several segments. First we stopped after 2 hours for a break and some coffee and sweets. Then we drove for another 2 hours and back to an auto grille for lunch. Cathy and I enjoyed a meal of Iberia ham for me and chicken for her, followed by some shopping in the attached store.

Soon we were back on the bus for a short ride to the cave community. Some 50 kilometers from Granada we stopped to visit a Troglodyte community at least 2000 years old. We were invited onto the home of a young man and his bride and 3 year old son. The wife was 4 months pregnant.

The community now has only 2500 inhabitants but at one time may have held as many as 20,000. The home was actually carved into the mountain entirely by hand. Our host’s home was fairly new, only 500 years old. He was adding a room, still by hand for the new baby. The cave home is actually quite large and now has running water and electricity. The interior is quite cool and remains so no matter the outside temperature.

Our host was born in the community and his father lives only 200 yards away. They are a 5^th generation of troglodyte living in the same town. Our host also ran a small shop selling locally hand painted ceramics and other low cost souvenirs. Cathy bought some beautiful plats tow for us and two for our friend Gloria, she makes a great avocado dip and these are the perfect size in which to serve it.

Back to the bus and the 50 kilometer drive to Granada.

The weather remained cloudy all day so we did not suffer from what could have been a hot day if there was sun, so we were blessed. Our check in at the hotel went well except for Rick and Alla. When they got to their room there was an “odor” that seemed to emanate from the shower. Rick decided the better part of valor was to ask for a new room, which was quickly granted.

Before dinner we went for a walk to a local monastery build around 1500. It was a short walk, but uphill all the way. Cathy felt a little hot so she needed cold water so we stopped into a small store on the grounds of the monastery. After a brief cool down we headed up the steps to discover there was a 4 euro charge. The kids did not want to go and Cathy was still warm so I went alone. I am glad I did.

There was some amazing art work in the monastery, unfortunately photography was prohibited. The main theme was the persecution of the catholic priests by the Sultans who ruled Granada at the time. The paintings depicted, in gross detail, all forms of execution including; hanging, beheading, quartering, arrows, gunshot and other creative ways of delivering death.

There was also a bright side in the main church area. Here we had art depicting Jesus’ life and parents, the apostles and many other forms of church life. Every square inch of the walls, ceiling and floor had some decoration. The interior was beautiful and well worth the visit for me.

I headed back to the hotel for a quick shower and dinner. Dinner was a simple local fare consisting of a buffet of salads, soups, garnishes and meat or fish. It was all you can eat so no one went away hungry.

Next came the evening entertainment, a trip to the hills and Flamenco Dancing. We boarded a small bus as we were soon to learn that the roads were exceedingly narrow and almost impassable. In fact there were times when we were less than an inch from a wall, a sign or another car. We all howled with delight as we careened around corners we never thought we could negotiate. Some felt this was the best part of the evening, but they soon learned that the best was yet to come.

Now Cathy and I had been to this location to see the Flamenco Dance 5 years ago, but we enjoyed it so much we choose to go again and we were glad we did. Once again we went up a hill and into a cave and found seats along the walls where we were served a drink of our choice, ours was Sangria of course.

Then the show began with several dancers actually performing within a few inches from where we sat. We were so close to the action that you could feel the steps and felt the breeze when the dancers executed their impossible turns and stepped hard tapping against the dance floor. The festivities lasted about an hour and were truly an experience enjoyed by all.

Then it was back to the bus for the harrowing ride home. Cathy and I stayed up in the lounge to watch the final 10 minutes of football where England beat the Ukraine 1 to nil. Then up to bed where we awaited the next 6:30 AM wake up call!

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Photos

Gypsy night
Michelle Obama sat here

Granada
relaxing

Gypsy night
Flamenco dancer

Gypsy night
Flamenco dancer

Granada
Family Vacation