So back to Granada for the evening, and out for the typical experience - free tapas with every drink you order. We went out to one of the local haunts recommended by Lonely Planet. The wine list there was quite good so I was more than happy to order cava and wine and have dinner brought free with it. Friday night and the whole world seemed to be out! We wandered the streets afterwards, though sadly my plan for hot chocolate and churros was deterred by the late hour. On our way back to the hostal we ran across some sort of ceremony going on in one of the church squares but continued heading back as I've got an early wake up call in order to score some Alhambra tickets tomorrow morning.

7am is not my favorite time to get up, but its the only way I'm guaranteed tickets to Alhambra, so here I am lined up with all the other last minute planners. The hilarious thing is how many people I ran across in party clothes, whose nights were obviously just ending. By 8:30 I had my tickets and headed back to the hostal, picking up a fresh, still warm croissant along the way. Our tickets for the Palacio were for 10:30 am, and holy was it gorgeous. Hard to believe something like that has been standing in its entirety for over 500 years, with its earliest mention back to 900AD. There was intricate carving everywhere and the gardens attached were stunning. After we finished up at the palace, we wandered around town a bit as we had some time to kill before our bus left for Ronda, the largest of the white towns in Andalusia.

We arrived in Ronda late afternoon, and so far it's in the running to be my favorite. Ronda sits on the edge of the Tajo gorge and we decided to take advantage of the views and splurge, so we are staying in a restored Palacio that literally hangs on the gorge with breath taking views from our balcony...plus there's a king size bed!