Granada and the Alhambra

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Day 6: Granada

We awoke, just barely, and got ready at the speed of light so we could duck off for a quick breakie (no eggs on toast, just crossaints and chocolate....not enjoyable at breakie) before climbing the hill that leads up to the Alhumbra which was our destination for today. The tour guide was nice, but the 'whispers' he gave us were a little staticy and his accent was tricky to decipher (even without only 3 hours sleep). He showed us the gardens and palace relaxing areas to begin and the views of the city were just incredible. I took more photos than I absorbed information but the beauty of the gardens, buildings and architecture says more than I can. I only hope my photosndo it any slight justice, it is truely a work of art. I was only disappointed I didn't get more history and information from the tour. I felt like I was trying to listen through a bucket of water so I will research it more when I have the time and inclination.

We walked back to our hostel via a dehli where Anna and I instigated an onslaught of busabouters ordering yet another yummy boccadillo. Nothing ever tasted so good as a fresh ham and cheese from Spain. We quickly ate and got changed into our togs ready for an afternoon at Granada's Hammam baths. I honestly had no idea what to expect but I will try anything once (yes, Mum and Dad, this wasn't always how I reacted, but I am discovering a world of amazing things now I have tried it). We arrived in a beautiful old building decorated in Turkish style and we were asked to put lovely blue slipper sleaves over our shoes to walk inside. I snuck a photo but couldn't take any inside.

We stripped to our togs and entered the first room which was a large spa size bath of super cold water with concrete ledges around the outer edges of the room. We all sat around looking dopy until a staff member came to tell us the usual progressions. We began by showering a few rooms away, then moved to the gigantic warm pool with pillars coming down from the ceiling. When we had rested in the water there we then moved to a sauna room to sweat it out, followed by a large dip in a very very hot pool which was much much shallower before finally moving to the freezing cold pool. There was also delicious mint tea and lollies in an adjoining room if we wished to have a break between pools. We were told to repeat the process again and againmfor ad long as we were here and choose for ourselves how long we needed in each pool.

Some of us had paid extra for a 15min massage so one by one a staff member would tap you on the shoulder mid-bath and take you to another room for a massage. It was so amazingly relaxing. I was fully aware afterwards of my body simply floating down the street and every part of me tingled with the release of tension I didn't know I was carrying. The most relaxed I have ever been after a "beauty" type treatment and I would recommend every one try it at least once! I will definately be going back for more and I am now seriously considering a trip to Turkey, they know how to relax!

Afterwards Anna and I did some shopping and I was so good I convinced myself out of buying 2 pairs of shorts and a top I didn't need. Anna also was very good and only bought one shirt and a super cute zebra dress. I was successful, until as we were leaving, a maxi dress jumped out and said "take me, I am only 20 euros" I said no, then I said, well maybe if you are the right length...that almost never happens so I am safe...and then.....I tried it on, it was love at first sight, and it was long enough. Anna said it was meant to be and I had to agree. So I sucessfully talked myself out of buying the practical shorts only to buy an impractical but oh so pretty maxi dress. Old habbits die hard hey?!

No more shopping now so instead we visited the crypt of Izzy and Ferdinand, Spain's famous rulers, and also walked through the church museum and art galley. I have to say Spanish Jesus looks like a whole different guy...he had a completely different look to the one I grew up seeing artworks of! The rest of the afternoon was spent checking out a local art gallery and wandering through the markets.

We went back to the hostel to get ready for our Spanish Flamenco dancing lesson that was out in the hills in a cave! They are the same caves where flamenco was originally formed. We were supposed to walk up to the hill but Izzy said we could take a taxi if we promised to keep it a secret. Lucky we did, it was ages away and we would have not kept our relaxed Haman glow. Our dance instructor was a tiny tiny old lady who looked like she was 203. She didn't speak much English but you could tell she was extremely serious about her dancing. From the minute she walked into the room she commanded our attention. 5 foot (maybe) and skin like old leather she began with a demonstration with the accompaniment from a cute Spanish guitar player. She also used castanets as she danced. It was an impressive sight.

I have agonised whether I include this, but I must reveal she also had a dreadful sniffly nose which constantly dripped big globs of you know what, and she managed to collect MOST of it with a tissue....gross, but it was part of the whole experience of trying to watch her and focus on the dancing. She got us up in groups of two to learn a brief routine of basic steps which were mostly repeated and then threw in a big turn and flourish at the end. I was glad I had my samba choreography training, as I am particularly dreadful at learning choreography but I found this mostly easy, I wish we could have learnt more. After everyone had their duo lesson we headed outside to see an even older lady who probably wasn't even 4 foot but she could play castanets like nothing else! I of course bought a pair, but couldn't get anywhere near her skills and it took me most of the rest of the evening before I could use them to any basic level of skill. They are not like castanets at home at all. But practice makes perfect!

We walked down to the bottom of the hill for a tapas dinner with Izzy and a beautiful view looking up to the Alhumbra. There was also a large group of local musicians jamming away beside our table. After dinner we walked back up the hill to sit down and watch the hour performance. We were surrounded on all sides by Japanese tourists who tried extremely unsuccessfully to clap on the beat and a number of the dancers and musicians on stage repeatedly asked them to stop, to no avail. It was precious to see the joy on their faces as they were blissfully ignorant of offending the Spanish dancers while they themselves thought they were helping and joining in the fun. Our teacher was in the last group to dance and we was particuarly vemenently**** against anyone taking photos, video or clapping. She told them off and we giggled quietly behind our hands, but fully supported her! It was an incredible night and I look forward to more dance classes in the future.



Day 7: Granada to Toledo to Madrid

Our last day began with more hilarious events. We arrived at our first service stop only to see another bus load of Japanese tourists also pulling up ahead of us! Izzy and Jay joined teams to yell out that we MUST make it to the bathrooms first, so with a sudden burst of accelleration on Jay's part and a quick pep talk on elbowing from Izzy we were ready and rearing to jump off the bus. Jay's sudden screach of breaks and skidding of tyres signified the end of our anticipation and it was time for business. We streamed out the bus doors running for the steps, one eye on the door, one eye on the competition, we could hear Izzy yelling her support from behind us and the adrenaline was pumping.

We were gaining! But they were quick in their middle age and they could see we meant business! "Elbows, Elbows" we could hear Izzy as the voice in our head, or was she yelling encouragement from the sidelines?! The blood was thumping in our ears, it was time for the final countdown. Ahead of us to the left they came, up the steps we bounded, they were closer, but we were younger, who would win? It was so close, but a cheeky grin and a sneaky body ram blocking the door and we..........we......won!!!! Busabout makes it first into the serivce stop toilets! Ahh the achievement! After 7 days on tour I may be loosing my mind...perhaps it is the alcohol? Haha

Next we took the bus to Toledo. (See it was much more exciting when I told you the story above! Haha) Having slept weird the night before I had somehow managed to kink my hip so that it hurt to move....the above paragraph of drama didn't do wonders as I thought it might and I was left at hobbling everywhere we went. I don't like to be denied anything (only child syndrome?) so I pushed through and wandered all over Toledo happy to be able to be there at all to see the amazing sights, sounds and smells of yet another amazing Spanish town.

Jen had a lit list of what she wanted to see and it was a long list for a 2 hour stop. However we tagged along and tried to keep up! She was on a mission. We were headed to the main cathedral when a Leonardo Da Vinci museum popped out of nowhere and beckoned. I am a fan of his incredible inventions so I managed to convince the girls that 3 floors of cool machines and a trip down to the original dungeons was a good diversion, luckily they agreed! We bought tickets from an interesting Italian guy who's only job was selling tickets for the museum for 4 hours each day.

The machined and inventions were quite amazing, some I had never even heard of, others more well known like his flying contraptions and some which were over 400 years before someone took his original idea and ran with it! He was an incredibly clever person. The dungeons were a little creepy so we headed back out to see the cathedral. Anna and I had enough of seeing the inside of churches and we were suitably impressed by the outside so we left Jen to continue exploring and headed off on our own to follow our noses and spidy senses to somewhere awesome. Our excellent never fail spidy senses led us to the castle which we found by accident as it was a very sedate and understated building but the surrounding walkways had an excellent view of the city. I also saw a tiny dog get almost swallowed by an enormous dog who's owners proceeded to yell at eachother passionately in Spanish, highly entertaining.

Unfazed by my extremely annoying hip we decided to check out the opposite side we of town which had a big impressive building, the Alcazar, and an even more impressive view of the countryside. We also found funky statues of Don Qiote. My last boccadillo on the Iberian adventure was found at a local place in the centre of town (never a good place to eat) and then we were on the bus back to Madrid.

Our last afternoon with Jen was spent cruising the Madrid markets, introducing her to the best frozen yoghurt in the world, shopping and generally having a great time with amazing food and amazing friends. We came together again as a tour group for a pinchos dinner before Anna and I left to swap photos as I was leaving for San Sebastian early in the morning. Izzy informed us we had covered 2200km in the last 7 days so we knew why were just a tad sleepy! Can't wait to do more of Spain one day, I loved it, but I also had the best of friends to share it with. :-)

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Photos

Hamman Turkish Baths, Granada
This was the best relaxation thing I have ever done!