We woke this morning about 8:00 am and had coffee in the PLaza Encarnation. People were busy cleaning up, going to work, and taking kids to school. We hadn't been up early on a weekday for awhile - it was quite cool (comparatively) and pleasant.
It was a travel day, as we set out from Seville to Granada. We walked through a new (to us) commercial district to the bus station at Plaza de las Armas. The little amusement park that was set up a few blocks from the station the other night was dismantled. I had particularly noticed a ride that was like hamsterballs for children in a big wading pool.
 |
| Our bus to Granada |
We were early, erring on the side of caution as usual. The bus to Granada was never listed on the big electronic Salida board, but Neil found out the gate by asking at the information booth. The bus did not seem at all full but, about five minutes before scheduled departure, about 70% more people got on. It was about three quarters full. The trip lasted about three hours, with quite a bit of traffic and maneuvering on the way out of Seville. This was our first contact with highways and autos. There weren't a lot of cars on the road. The price of gas was about $9 per gallon!
The countryside out the window was olive trees and sunflowers, growing warmer and slightly hillier as we went along. It was surprising to see snowon the Sierra Madres as we approached. We hopped right into a taxi which was expertly driven. The cab driver told us that the light rail system being built near the bus station had been going on for six years and had another three or four to go.
 |
| The courtyard of Santa Isabel y Real |
Granada had a very different "vibe". We went up a hill to the Albaicin, which is the old Arab Quarter. It was very different in appearance than anything we had seen in Spain before. Everything was very white, except for the ever-present tagging on the plaster walls. The buildings were generally low and the streets very narrow. Traffic (taxis and motorcycles for the most part) zoomed through echoing loudly, amazingly not colliding with walls or other cars. The taxi pulled up in front of a wooden door in a white wall which was the front of our hotel, Santa Isabel y Real. The door opened into a beautiful courtyard with dark woods. The room was very beautiful, with dark wood beamed ceilings with carvings, dark red tiles on the floor, and lovely woven wall hangings and rugs. There was a very nice common sitting area with a laptop computer for guest use. The wifi worked well throughout the hotel. (The wifi in Seville worked erratically.) The clerk spoke excellent English and sent us off to get lunch before things closed up for the afternoon.
 |
| The path down from the Albaicin |
We had a pleasant, if hot, lunch at the Plaza San Miguel de Bajo. There seemed to be five or six restaurants in the plaza. Neil had a dish with mushrooms and shrimp and I had a lettuce heart with fried garlic and good olive oil. The bread was delicious. I had a two hour nap in our new room while Neil was up planning and getting info from the clerk. When it had cooled down a bit outside, we started on out to get our bearings of our new town. We set off down the hill and made our way over to the main tourist squares. We walked down Calle Elvira and really, for the first time since being in Spain, I felt unsafe. There were young homeless / travelers, maybe drug addicts. There were neo-hippie / gypsy wannabes set along with real gypsies. Anyway.. the parallel street one over was a glitzy shopping area.
 |
| The Alhambra viewed from mirador San Nicholas |
It cooled a bit more as we made our way over to the base of the other hill, on which sits the Alhambra. We walked by the stream / river Carrea del Darra which was marred only by traffic, turned to climb back up to the Albaicin and ended up in the lovely Plaza San Nicholas where there was a mirador (viewing spot). The Plaza was the site of a church, restaurants, and cafes. There were many people there for the sunset - tourists and locals. A group of parents accompanied their children after some kind of team sport (basketball?) practice. We enjoyed the evening view, took pictures and settled in at Bar Kiki for a very good dinner of bacalao sefardic, cod with a sauce of raisins, figs, pine nuts and basil. It was delicious. As we ate with the sun setting at 9:45 pm, Neil proclaimed our late dinners to be the best part of each day. I tried to ask the waiter the name of the birds we watched darting around the church tower in the evening. The same type of birds were flying like nuts around the cathedral in Seville and around the church in Plaza San Miguel in Cordoba. I think they are swallows or swifts. Anyway, the waiter, seeing me gesture at the church towers, answered "campana". I didn't realize until Neil told me that the waiter had answered with the spanish for "bells". I really need to speak up and try better to make myself understood! It really was lovely. The lights came on in the city and spotlit the Alhambra. It was warm and people were milling about. There was street music in the air.
 |
| Night view of the Alhambra from San Nicholas |
We walked back to our hotel, getting directions from a woman from Sonoma who was renting an apartment in the Albaicin.
No comments:
Post a Comment