Toby likes the backroads.

And since he is serving as our driver, we had the opportunity to follow the road less traveled.

The four of us departed Cádiz on Monday and pointed the car toward Granada … obliquely. Along the way we took the scenic route through some of the high mountains of Andalusia, where the hairpin turns and switchbacks were so numerous that we practically met ourselves coming the other way. The views, however, were spectacular.

Along the route we had lunch in the village of Olvera, one of the many white-washed villages that cling like barnacles to the hillsides, dwarfed in size by the castles and cathedrals that crown the hilltops. We surmised that the people residing in these hamlets tend the unending acreage of olive groves. Many times olive trees dotted every speck of land visible from our car, even on long-distance views.

Within a few hours we arrived in Granada. We were greeted at our hotel's front desk by Kathy, a friendly Iowan ex-pat who married a Spaniard 25 years ago and has called Granada home ever since. Her help and friendly smile were indispensable to our enjoyment of Granada.

This city appeared a bit more vibrant than either Seville or Cádiz, no doubt partially due to the recent arrival of 70,000 university students for the beginning of the academic year. Kathy suggested that Granada is the Spanish equivalent of Berkeley or a similar college town. We came across a square filled with approximately 70 of these students caught up in a sort of "pledge" exercise, where all of the newbies were sporting face paint and wearing their underwear outside their trousers.

The next day we walked … er … climbed into the Albaicín, Granada's oldest and most Moorish section, where tight streets are frequently replaced with staircases. Only pedestrians and horses were expected ever to use these thoroughfares. Few streets in are wide enough for motor traffic. High on the hillside is the Mirador de San Nicolas, a spot that offers a broad view of the highlight of Granada’s heritage, the Alhambra.

We descended from the Albaicín, and after stopping by the Triumphal Arch (where Ferdinand and Isabella celebrated Christian Spaniards success in booting out the Muslim Moors from the Iberian Peninsula) and our obligatory visit to Granada’s Cathedral, we climbed the hill to enter the Alhambra’s walled fortress and palace.

The Alhambra is divided into several sections, some simply defensive but others opulent beyond belief. The pervasive Moorish decorative style is unique in its attention to mind-numbingly infinitesimal detail. The gardens are lovely and still well maintained with flowers and topiary. Each interior square foot is, on its own, a work of geometric and graphic art, but the impact arises from the vast spaces covered with chiseled flourishes and filigrees.

The palace of the Alhambra was built by a Sultan, but was then captured by Ferdinand and Isabella. Once they commandeered this luxurious residence, they chose to relocate the Spanish capital to Granada. And it is here in these rooms where Christopher Columbus came to report on his New World exploits.

We ended the day once more sitting in an outdoor café, planning for a brief escape from city life. But more on that next time.

Blog to you later!