Hola from Granada! We have been here now for 5 days and have been in Spain for 2 weeks. My Spanish has improved a "poco" and today we finally bought a Spanish/English dictionary, pocket size. We first went from Cairo to Barcelona and were there for 4 nights. Then we took the high speed AVE train to Madrid (the train trip was wonderful - comfortable and very scenic) and were there for 6 nights. On Monday we picked up our leased car outside Madrid and started south to Granada. The car has a GPS system which, of course, we needed right away! It really does help in and around the cities! Even the GPS couldn't help with the SNOW we encountered! We watched flakes flutter down as we had breakfast in Madrid and began to worry a bit but we weren't really prepared for the 6 inches we found! Madrid is fairly high and so cold weather isn't unusual but, like Seattle, folks here don't do well in the snow. At one point, we were stopped on the freeway for 45 minutes. People got out of their cars and walked around a bit and smoked and tried to figure out what was going on. When I asked "que pasa?" the man from the car in front of ours just shrugged. When we finally moved, about a mile down the road we saw a snowman that someone had made as they waited! Currently, we have rain. On Tuesday it was sunny, Wednesday it rained, yesterday it was nice in the afternoon, and today it has rained off and on all day. BUT - we're from Seattle and the rain didn't stop us! Actually, we waited until it stopped and then went out with our Gore Tex on!
Barcelona (pronounced bar-the-low-na) was glorious! If it weren't for all the warnings about pickpockets and car jackings, we would be eager to go back. Gaudi is amazing and although I had seen pictures ( his stuff looked "weird") and thought "this guy can't be that impressive", I was wrong! His "Sagrada Familia" is pretty indescribable. I'll include one photo of one part of the exterior. He believed in using the shapes found in nature, particularly vegetation, in architecture and his cathedral has tree trunks, flowers etc all over. Besides seeing Gaudi, we ate great tapas, walked La Rambla, saw some great markets, did a bit of shopping and rested.
When we got to Madrid, we got a taxi and headed to our hotel which was right on the Puerto del Sol - a perfect spot! We had an excellent room. It was on the third floor and on the corner so we looked directly out onto the square and also onto Calle del Carmen which is filled with shops. We arrived on a national holiday and people were everywhere! There is a metro station on the square as well as buses and more and more people kept finding their way there. We spent our first full day there at the Prado and the Reina Sophia museum which has Picasso's "Guernica" (his forceful black and white anti war painting which was done after the civil war in Spain). The Prado was every bit as good as we were told it would be. Spanish artists such as Goya, El Greco and Velaquez are featured but many others are there as well. We spent hours and then hurried over to see "Guernica" before we were totally exhausted. The next two days we had a "hop on, hop off" bus ticket and we used it to see both the historical and the newer parts of Madrid. We also took it back to the Prado area to see the Naval Museum. That was very interesting because of Spain's great navy in the past - remember the Spanish Armada? Also, Christopher Columbus is part of that history and much was made of his "discovery" of the new world. Part of our time was spent with housekeeping chores; we did laundry, got a cable for the laptop etc. We ate great paella. Another night we met a cute young couple who were seated at the table next to us. She had spent time in England and so her English was very good. At the end of the meal, we found out that it was her birthday! Her boyfriend had taken her out for a special dinner and we had talked to them all the way through it! We took two tours out of town with an agency recommended by Rick Steves called Julia Tours. One was a full day tour to Toledo and the other was a half day to El Escorial and the Valley of the Fallen. Toledo was the capital of early Spain and has a wonderful cathedral. We could have spent more time than the tour allowed but we were pleased to have a well done tour at all. The day that we were there it was very foggy which spoiled the views, but we still enjoyed seeing the ancient city that at one time was the peaceful home of Muslims, Jews and Christians. The half day tour was the next day, which was bright and sunny. We were up early to go to El Escorial, a palace/cathedral/burial place built by Philip II to house the Spanish kings and queens. It has an ancient library which includes a book written by St. Augustine in the 6th. century, among others! The palace rooms were impressive as was the mausoleum. The Valley of the Fallen is a monument Frano built to honor those who died in the Civil War. There is a church, which is closed for renovations, and a very impressive exterior which includes a gigantic cross - 150 meters tall I believe. Happily the weather allowed us good views from both sites that day. That was last Sunday and Monday we drove down here.
Andalucia is the name of the southern region of Spain. It includes Granada, Sevilla, and Cordoba as well as the Costa del Sol. Granada is probably best known for the Alhambra, the great Moorish castle that was the last stronghold of the Moors in Spain. We visited it on Wednesday, one of the sunny days. It is absolutely beautiful, even though the paint has faded, the walls need repair and there is constant work and scaffolding in the way. We were actually in the room where Queen Isabel gave Columbus her support to explore in 1492! I love the intricate designs, both in tile and plasterwork. Granada is all about the Reyes Catolica - Ferdinand and Isabel. The streets, fountains, shops are all named after them. Because they drove out the Moors, they united Spain for the first time and established the Catholic church as the national religion. They are also responsible for the Spanish Inquisition. (That is not mentioned much here.) Our apartment, which we have until the 28th., is in the old Moorish quarter with very narrow (about 6 feet wide!) and winding streets. It is very easy to get lost here! We try to be home by 9 or so but the streets mostly are well lit. Our building is about 500 years old and has 5 apartments. One is the landlord's and he rents the other 4. We have the largest, with a living room, bedroom, L shaped kitchen and dining area, and bathroom. There is a terrace on the roof which would be wonderful in the summer heat and which even now gives us beautiful night views of the Alhambra which is just across the gorge.
We are taking the train to Cordoba on Monday for two nights and then will be back here for Christmas Eve and Christmas. We'll leave on the 28th for the seaside town of Nerja for two nights and then on to Tarifa, again on the coast. Maybe we'll see some sun there! Thank you to all of you who have sent suggestions and recommendations on places to stay, sites etc. We are rereading them and they are guiding our path. Special thanks to all who recommended Ronda; we will spend two nights there. And Marcy, we are staying at the Hurricane Hotel in Tarifa! Merry Christmas to you all and Happy New Year!
The photos are: Gaudi's cathedral, Madrid prepares for Christmas in the Puerto del Sol, Leticia and her young man - the couple we met at dinner in Madrid, the huge cross at the Valley of the Fallen, and the archways leading into a room at the Alhambra.
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