Off to Granada

It was not possible for me to get a ticket for the Alhambra. David, the tour leader, tried many times on the phone while we were on the bus this morning, but it was a no go. I was disappointed, but not in despair. I'll just have to return.

We took a short walk around town as a group upon arriving. Granada is very hilly, surrounded by mountains, so David suggested taking the bus if we wanted to go up to see the view. We split up after the walk (3 of us were not going to the Alhambra) and David asked if we wanted to join him for some tapas. Granada is the home of tapas. According to legend, it came from a time when bodegas and tavernas were small, dark and full of bugs. The owner would serve you your drink covered by a little dish (tapa means "cover") to keep the bugs out. As an enticement, some owners would put little bites on the plate and, bingo, tapas was born. We went to one his favorite places, where, if you order a drink, you get a dish of tapas for free. The only catch is you cannot choose which dish you get. We started with a huge plate of fried fresh anchovies, then got fried shrimp. We also ordered a plate of mixed fried fish, which included monkfish, dogfish(!), prawns and more anchovies. It was really delicious!

It is a bit more chilly here -- it is a higher altitude -- but I decided to walk about. I went to the chapel were King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella are buried, along with their daughter, known as the crazy Queen Juana and her husband, King Filipe. They aren't really buried -- there is a huge monument for each couple and their coffins, just plain wooden boxes, are laid below in a crypt. It seemed a bit sad. I also took a tour around the Basilica, which was huge, dark and very cold.
This was home to the King and Queen and it is where Christopher Columbus returned after "discovering the New World". There is a large statue commemorating this in the Plaza Isabel La Catolica.

One of the best views of the Alhambra is from the terrace of St. Nicholas Church. I took the #31 bus up there and it was spectacular. I could see snow on the mountains. The bus is quite small, holding around a dozen people, because the streets are so narrow and winding. I'm glad I didn't choose to walk up -- it was pretty steep and very curvy, as well as being cobblestone. It was also nice to see some more of the town from the bus.

I treated myself to a plate of churros before returning to the hotel. The place was packed with people buying ice cream and pastries.