Granada

It was sad to leave Seville but we were looking forward to getting to know our next destination, Granada.  We had quite the journey to Granada as we were on a milk run with 8 stops before Granada.  But they are working on getting the fast AVE trains into Granada which meant the train could not go all the way to Granada.  So we had to get off the train and board a bus to take us to the Granada train station.  It was about a 4 hour journey but not as bad as it sounds.  We are again in the middle of the old town and the first taxi driver would not take us there and found another driver for us.  We understood why as we slowly made our way through a very narrow, pedestrian heavy street (similar to our experience in Barcelona).  We made it to our very cosy apartment, checked in and headed out to explore.  Granada was the last Muslim city to fall to the Christians in 1492 and so there is still a lot of Muslim influence through the architecture, food and shops.  The big draw is the massive Alhambra Palace which we have booked a tour to see.

 This is our view from our patio looking up at the amazing Alhambra Palace.  Can't wait to explore it.

Rita on a bridge that crosses the tiny Darro River (it would be a creek by our standards) and the tiny street behind her is known as Paseo de los Tristes (Walk of the Sad Ones) as it was once the route of funeral processions to the cemetery at the edge of town.

 This tiny alley is called Alcaiceria and it was originally a Moorish silk market with 200 shops that sold precious salt, silver, spices and silk.  Silk was such an important product that the Sultans built this fortified market with 10 armed gates and its own guards.  Today it has been taken over by less precious souvenir products but was still neat to tour through the tiny alleys and look at all the different shops.

 Plaza de Romania with the Bell Tower of Seville's Cathedral towering over everything

     Ok, it was time for a late lunch and so we stopped at a outdoor restaurant.  Rita ordered a salad and I thought it would be a good idea to try a local delicacy.  This is tortilla de Sacromonte.  Its a type of omelet with their version of ketchup on top.  It tasted a little weird but I managed to finish it.  When we got back to our apartment I was reading a travel book on Grenada and it mentioned this dish and what it contained.  Stop reading if you have a delicate stomach.  It is a "spicy omelet with lamb brains and other organs, cured ham, fried eggplant and green beans".  Yikes.  I will not be ordering that again.