Well, another magical day in Spain! We have so far been driving for just over two weeks and covered over 3000kms with diverse scenery, incredible roadways and townships at every turn that really are cities. Today was certainly no exception.
We were up early to a quite windy morning in Torremolinos, and were one of the first down for brekkie before 8am ( amazing buffet!) and on the road before 9am. Probably one of our most scenic driving days - which I didn’t really anticipate. Rolling hills of farmlands - including olives, citrus and vines. And lovely enclaves of picturesque towns on every turn - not to mention the stunning mountains in the distance still retaining a smattering of snow .
We had an immediate positive feel for Granada. Considering I only booked our apartment two nights ago we’re thrilled by how well it has worked out and what a fabulous apartment it is - one of our best! Our beautiful host who spoke negligible English, met us at the apartment at 1030am, came with us in the car to the car park a few minutes away, then called us a taxi to take us to Alhambra to meet our 1200 tour! Phenomenal! (She’ll be getting a good review!)
Time for a coffee and croissant before meeting our guide for the prepaid tour I booked from home. Three hours of overwhelming information and insight into so much history! The Islamic story from the ancient Moors until the last Sultan is incredibly interesting. Our young guide was brilliant- but did take some intense concentration on our part - Spaniards speak so fast and with such passion! The Alhambra, the Alcazaba (fortress), the Palácio Nazaries and the Gardens - just awesome! And evidently tourists only get to visit about 30% of
what the Alhambra really entails.
So many more towers, buildings, tunnels.... ! I have much more research to undertake - thankfully our guide
suggested some worthwhile reading material.
It was a pleasant stroll downhill back into town. Being about 3.30pm and very hot we were happy to find a tavern for a beer and some tapas before continuing on to walk through more of the old town - particularly the cathedral area. Such a lovely town! It was then back to the apartment for us - too hot and too tired for much more. We needed to do washing, grab some supplies and plan our next couple of days.
Our evening ended up memorable too. Raym had found a lovely nearby restaurant in a little plaza with great ratings - only problem was at 7.30pm no one was in sight. We chose a bar for a drink in the meantime and next minute there is a plate of delicious Russian salad for us to share. Our chosen restaurant appeared to be opening so we moved to opposite end of the plaza where the locals seemed to be congregating, for a Sangria to wait.Then, of course, another plate of free tapas arrives! By this stage we realised we were too full for dinner ! Another glass of Sangria and some chicken wings and we were done! Not to mention some hysterical interaction with waiters and locals - turned out a fun night!