4-15-2016: Day 19, To Granada!

We ran into a problem with planning this part of the trip and the only way to make it work is to suffer one day.  Today we suffer and it begins at 3 AM.  Thank goodness for the Hotel Casa Camper where we are staying as they have food available 24 hours a day.  We find rolls, yogurt and coffee.  And of all days to get sick Krim has caught either the Black Plaque or a nasty cold.  It came on strong the night of our concert and with a hard day ahead we pull out the drugs we have to get her through.

We scheduled a lot of flights in Spain but the airports and flights are working and our hour or hour and a half flights get us every where we want to go.  Granada is where we land and our guide for the day takes us for a traditional breakfast of bread and we head for the famous Alhambra.  We knew the Alhambra is big but oh my, it is really big.  Not so much a building, this is a city.  Begun as a fortress for the Moors that conquered Spain it expanded to include several palaces, majestic Arabic gates and intricate carvings. This is the most significant Islamic architecture of Spain and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Some parts of the Alhambra look familiar and we find that Gaudi was a fan of the Alhambra and used the columns and ceilings in the Sagrada Família.  Our tour takes 3 hours and it is just enough to get a feeling of the place.  The fortress was so well planned and situated on a hill of good defense that Granada was the last place to be taken back by the Church.  But is took 800 years!

Looking up at the Alhambra from the town below is an awesome sight.  Lights shine on the Alhambra at night and we wish we could stay to see but you can't have everything my Mama used to say.  So we walk the old section of the city and climb the hill opposite the Alhambra.   It is a climb but we stop half-way for lunch at a delightful local place under shade and find a great salad and wine and beer and it is wonderful.  The folks we have met in Spain have been so delightful and genuine!  The walk is good as we reach the top for an incredible view of the Alhambra and town.  Walking the trails it is evident folks are living in them thar hills.  It is a unique part of Granada that when some folks arrived they did not want or could not afford to live in town so they started to live in the hills.  Soon they dug caves in the hill and some got more and more elaborate with several rooms.  No electric or water or sewer and no taxes.  Finally the City leaders offered city services in exchange for some tax.  However, others have come and started new caves above that can only be reached by trails.  As we walk we find one that for a Euro will allow a walk through.  It has all the convenience of electric and water and because it is inside the hill, the temperature is nice.  Not for us but the folks seem pretty happy about the arrangements.

 So our tour of Granada and the Alhambra is done and it is time to hit the road to our hotel three hours by van in Seville.  So we say goodby to our guide and we enter the van with a driver that speaks no English but is a cheerful fellow.  For three hours we see the land and much, a whole bunch of it is covered by olive trees.  Miles and miles and acres and acres of land in olive trees.  We have never seen such a thing.  Finally we reach Seville and that is when our driver makes it known that he is not sure where exactly our hotel is located.  "He is kidding, right?"  No he is not.  

We get lucky and we find a hotel and our driver is so happy.  It is raining cats and dogs now but he is so happy he throws out our luggage and we roll in to show our reservation to the nice folks and they say, "Oh no, this is not the right hotel!"  We shout at our driver, back in the rain, throw the bags in the van and we are off again.  

Our hotel is located next to the Cathedral but the streets are so narrow and so winding and so confusing we arrive at 9:30 PM and are still circling at 11:00.  It is getting kind of weird as our driver stops, asks, drives, calls for help, drives and finally just stops.  We suggest, "Let's get a cab and follow him".  Cabs are not cooperating - maybe it's a union thing!  

Our poor driver has reached the end of his rope and has navigated this big van through narrow streets how, we do not know cause our eyes were closed in fright most of the time.  We decide to call the hotel and finally they agree to send a person, who jumps in the van and guides our driver to our hotel.  

So glad Jim and Tina had the brilliant idea to hit a Deli in Granada before the drive to pick up olives, bread, cheese and plenty of wine.  The deli was wonderful and as fun as it was it seems the saints were on our side now as we will eat in our rooms tonight.  We did two bottles and good deli food to calm our nerves and replenish our bodies.  It started at 3AM and it is past midnight now so we all hit the bed for a well deserved rest.