Day 92, 4 October 2012, The Alhambra (Generalife Palace and Gardens and the Alcazaba Fortress), Granada, Spain. Utter luxury this morning... a hotel buffet breakfast. We know it was supposed to be all you can eat... not all you can carry, but we must admit to a couple of chocolate croissants departing with us after breakfast. Maybe a couple of other morsels.... We headed down the hill via the path of the Sad People, behind the Alhambra and followed the banks of the River Darro into town. It was for many years, in times ancient and modern, the way the funeral processions would come up from town, skirting the Alhambra and getting to the cemetery at the top of the hill. Very, very steep. Saw a few walkers and at least one mountain biker ploughing up the hill and on the verge of expiring. Perhaps they were saving the €1.20 the bus would have cost. Maybe it was just the challenge. Downtown Granada is positively littered with convents, churches and fabulous boutiques and laneways. We loved it. And the weather is finally starting to cool down... there is even a dusting of snow on the Sierra Nevada range up behind the Alhambra... fabulously cool at night. We visited an old Arab bath complex on the way that was open and free to the public - reminded us of our Turkish bath experience in Istanbul with the same star shaped cutouts in the ceiling where the skylights bring in the sunlight and moonlight. We took a lap of the Cathedral and went down the medina like shopping streets (Alcaiceria). Even, accidentally, had my fortune told in Spanish by one of the gypsies in the tourist area around the Cathedral. They have a system. If they see a free hand, they grab it, press a frond of rosemary into it, yammer off a fortune in Spanish whilst poking at various lines on the palm of the hand and then, when hand is reclaimed by angry owner (that would be me), demand payment. No, fortunately, sounds very similar in all languages. I soon learned to walk with something in both hands or with my hands clasped together. The Gypsy ladies around the Cathedral in Granada have learned how to swear in English. I think it was a fair exchange. We have a system we like to call "travel by postcard", so having seen the downtown sights and drooled over the goodies in Zara Home, we jumped on the bus and headed up to the Alhambra to see the other main sights by day (Generalife gardens pictured). We both have to resist the urge to say General Life in English, because it's actually a version from Arabic meaning the Garden of Arif, alternatively, the Garden of the Architect. But that's ok. You can say General Life if you want. We then dodged and weaved through truckloads of tourists and made it down to the Alcazaba fortress and played king of the castle by climbing each tower in turn. A couple was having wedding photos taken and they were playing dodge the tourist too... not particularly successfully I'm afraid (they should have come for the night time session!). The museum finished the day off and we saw items excavated from different parts of the site over the years. Most interesting of which were the gold coins. Preciousssss...... Quiet night in with an excellent €2 bottle of Spanish vino and enjoying the fresh mountain air from the window of the hotel. Off to Madrid tomorrow!