Catching up and moving on

September 18th 2014 continued…..

Leaving Granada we were really excited to be going to stay with BT’s step sister, Louise, who lives near Malaga. We had a wonderfully warm welcome and then the catching up, 17 years of it, began. Louise took us to the most incredible place for dinner. It was off the beaten track, no signage and felt like we were having dinner in a stable yard complete with stables and horses! We had the most amazing barbecued chicken skewers...the owner having restocked the BBQ with charcoal and stoked it up using an old hairdryer...and deep fried strips of aubergine with honey drizzled over them...yum...FTBTTT....fit to bust, tummy touching table!!!!

September 19th 2014

After a wonderfully comfortable sleep and croissant for breakfast we were encouraged to make ourselves at home in Louise's apartment, whilst she had work to do, and caught up with some blog writing, had a swim in the pool and had an afternoon siesta….caught up with some much needed washing etc…. thank you louise for making us feel so welcome…..In the evening, Louise took us to a local beach bar...Wazza’s Bar!!!...where we met Val and Bernie and consumed a couple of Mojito’s whilst enjoying the last of the evening sun.

[caption id="attachment_2589" align="aligncenter" width="640"] BT, Louise and Billy[/caption]

September 20th 2014

Louise has very kindly offered for us to stay for as long as we would like but we feel time passing us by and the need to get back on the road as there is still so much to see and do. But, there is still time to go out for breakfast, to visit a local market and catch up on more lost years before climbing once again into Bluebelle and heading for the most southerly part of Spain, Tarifa, and the closest we will get to Africa on this trip…..

[caption id="attachment_2671" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Our first glimpses of Africa...[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_2591" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Looking back towards Tarifa[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2592" align="aligncenter" width="427"] More fabulous paintwork….[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2593" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Stunning sunset...[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_2596" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Just setting up camp for the night when we heard a lot of commotion behind us……all the egrets from the surrounding vicinity seem to have made their home in this grass for the night...[/caption]

Just a quick note to say that we have been experiencing a few problems with the computer, so if you don't hear from us for a while don't panic!!! We are doing our best to resolve the issues…watch this space!!!

 

The Alhambra

September 18th 2014

Everywhere we go we are told that we have to be so careful where we park…especially in the cities, which is why we decided to pay for a campsite last night. However, it has been suggested that, as we are visiting the Alhambra today, we drive the few miles into the city and park in the designated car parks….there are lanky of spaces, security cameras and lots of activity all the time so we should be fairly safe.

Once we were parked, and had collected our tickets for later, we took a stroll through the  streets of Granada…stopping for coffee and toast on the way.

[caption id="attachment_2539" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Love this strange little attachment to the roof of this house...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2540" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Lovely narrow 'hallway' streets...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2541" align="aligncenter" width="427"] This house obviously used to look incredibly grand once…but has now been left to rot and decay and has been taken over by squatters...[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_2543" align="aligncenter" width="427"] We saw several of these workshops where traditional Spanish guitars were still being handmade….just fantastic![/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_2544" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Love the colours in this wall….[/caption]

 

The Alhambra is set up on a hill overlooking the city of Granada…it is quite an impressive place and a definite must visit if you come to the city. It is incredibly busy…6000 tickets are sold everyday, mostly on the internet, and if you cannot get one on the web, you have to get there by 6am to queue for one of the few remaining tickets. Entry is timed…you either have a morning or afternoon slot and within that you then have an allotted time to visit the main castle buildings. We were very lucky to be able to get the last two remaining tickets for entry to the grounds and castle at 2pm …we arranged this through the campsite last night!

If you are interested in the history of the Alhambra take a look at this site… http://www.alhambradegranada.org/en/info/historicalintroduction.asp

For now..we are going to take you on a photographic tour…to whet your appetite….

[caption id="attachment_2545" align="aligncenter" width="427"] The carving in the stone was just amazing…..[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2576" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The General life area…. Generalife It occupied the slopes of the Hill of the Sun (Cerro del Sol), from which there is a complete view over the city and the valleys of the rivers Genil and Darro. There are different interpretations of the meaning of its name: the Governor's Garden, the Architect's (alarife) Garden, the Vegetable Garden of the Gypsy Festivity Organiser, etc. The Generalife became a leisure place for the kings of Granada when they wanted to get away from the official affairs of the palace.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2575" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Views from the General life towards the castle[/caption]





[caption id="attachment_2572" align="aligncenter" width="427"] General life gardens[/caption]









[caption id="attachment_2567" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Looking towards Generalife[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_2565" align="aligncenter" width="427"] The bell on the watchtower[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2564" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Looking out across the city...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2563" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The cathedral...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2562" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Granada sprawling out below...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2561" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The watchtower[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2560" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The watchtower[/caption]





[caption id="attachment_2557" align="aligncenter" width="427"] There were many beautiful open courtyards within the palace[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2556" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Flooring...[/caption]





















 



Go see it…..you won't be disappointed…...

 

Trelevez to Granada

September 17th 2014

From the campsite there is a beautiful little path to the village of Trevelez which wanders its way alongside a fast running stream, before dropping down into the myriad of narrow streets and alleyways.

[caption id="attachment_2530" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Our walk to the village….[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2529" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Even the stream is full of colour….[/caption]

Our first glimpses of the town yesterday had left us wondering what all the fuss was about...

[caption id="attachment_2518" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Trevelez…nestled in the hills of the Sierra Nevada[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2528" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Trevelez...[/caption]

but as we walked the streets we were won over by its charm and beauty.







 

 

 

There are views across the mountains from every corner, little shops hidden from view...the only way to distinguish a shop from a home was a small sign above a curtained door, or having seen a customer emerge with their arms full of goodies!





The main square was full of colour and vibrancy...hand woven rugs adorned every doorway

[caption id="attachment_2526" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Brightly coloured handwoven rugs...[/caption]

locals sat at the bars drinking coffee and large Jambon hung from the ceiling of the many local producers…..



 



[caption id="attachment_2527" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Dried peppers...[/caption]

We weren’t able to leave without buying a new hand woven rug for the hall and some ham for BT to munch!

Granada is our next stop and our campsite hosts gave us some great advice about where to stay overnight and what to see in the city.

[caption id="attachment_2531" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Last views from the campsite...[/caption]

But first, we had to make our way back down the many windy mountain roads before arriving at our campsite about 5 miles outside of the city.



[caption id="attachment_2533" align="aligncenter" width="640"] I did say it was windy….[/caption]

We were very lucky and took the last remaining place.

A bus stop was just outside the campsite so we decided to catch the next one into the city and have a wander. We love to walk off of the beaten track and discover the little backstreets....today was no exception. The city has a very moorish feel to it.

[caption id="attachment_2535" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Lots of tiled hallways, road signs and door lintels all over the city...[/caption]

Many little shops, similar to the souks in Morocco were to be found up and down streets no wider than a hallway, spilling their brightly coloured wares onto the pavements.



Bars and cafes were found on every corner offering cuisine from around the world.

[caption id="attachment_2536" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Many beautiful buildings….[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2579" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Gorgeous….[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2580" align="aligncenter" width="640"] A spot of yarn bombing in Granada….love it![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2581" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Moroccan influences everywhere...[/caption]

Granada is a huge sprawling city with many gems to discover..the largest of these is the Alhambra which we plan to visit tomorrow....

[caption id="attachment_2582" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The Alhambra[/caption]