Adios Sevilla...

Sunday:

We had a leisurely morning and then took the 3 hour train south to Granada, a city of 240,000. We took a taxi (more miscommunication there because we were the first ones to start the “cola” (line) and apparently started it on the wrong end and it messed everyone up and people were fighting over who was next in line for a taxi). Granada is similar to San Francisco, only in the sense that it’s built on hills. Our “hotel” is on the opposite hill as the Alhambra and required a steep climb on foot up narrow cobblestone streets, pulling our luggage behind us. We got to the hotel and no one was there to let us in. Apparently, I was supposed to email them our arrival time so that someone would be here to let us in; in the chaos of planning the trip, I missed that detail. We baked out in the sun, asking around when someone would be back. Finally, I went down and begged to use the phone at a restaurant. The guy working the hotel was livid with me: told me he had waited all morning for us and went to go eat his lunch because he didn’t know when we were coming. He told me over and over again that it was my “problem” that we had to wait out in the (super hot afternoon sun). It was the clash of the tempers: his Spanish and mine Irish. Neither of us were happy. I was just tired and frustrated because I had spent so much effort ahead of time trying to plan out all the details and make all the reservations in the hope that we could avoid (the inevitable) traveling mishaps. It made me feel better, though, to read Alicia’s travel blog and to realize that she had had a similar traveling day and to get an email from Angi reminding me that this is just what happens about a week in; it’s part of the traveling process. 

Our cave dwelling room. More than worth the arguing, tears, and long walks up and down the hill. Last night there was some sort of demonstration down in the center of town; we were so glad to have the peace, tranquility & coolness of our cave!!

 

The quiet patio outside our room...

Sunday evening we wandered down the hill and tried to get our bearings in the labyrinth-like town. We had a nice dinner by the river and called it a night early since we were getting up early (by Spanish standards) Monday morning to go tour the Alhambra.

 

Matt & La Alhambra at sunset

 Ha! Best sign we've seen yet!