Farewell Sevilla, welcome to the cobbles of Granada!

I don´t know where to start! I wrote to you last of our escapades in Sevilla but what I did not get to write to you about was our fabulous last evening! Lets go chronologically...

Our farewell Sevilla dinner was consumed in a little bar in a backstreet Plaza (do not pronouce the ´z´as ´z´but as a ´th´/lisp) around the corner from our hostel. We were ´forced´to consume a few bicchiere (glasses ) of Tinto de Verano and beer before the kitchen opened at 8:30pm. The little bar was packed full of crazy locals who were not afraid of demanding (loudly) their orders above our heads. We worked out pretty quickly that the staff were not just going to give you their attentions, so after a short while of observing I learnt the art of domandare and quickly received a remark of ¨perfetto¨from the seemingly humourless waiter!

A list of food ordered and devoured:

• Patatas Bravas x2 (Potato wedges with a yummy orange sauce)
• Tortilla con shrimp
• Corquetta´s (essentially deep fried spinach)
• And Chicken pieces in an almond sauce

With a few Tinto under my belt I half tripped, half giggled my way out the door! Map in hand (JJ´s, not mine, I was too happy to concentrate) we navigated our way through a random compilation of streets that lead us to a very remote corner of the city where nothing was to be found but a little bar with a gorgeously warm open log fire. We managed to disentangle ourselves from the warmth, slide through the crowds and into a large ¨beer hall¨ with long rows of tables and wooden benches. When we arrived, the room was mildly filled with locals listening to a traditional Spanish band which included two classical guitars played by sombre men, an accordian held by a red faced jolly grandfather, a double bass strummed by a head bobbing gentleman, a drummer with a drumkit and a face for expressions, and an enormously enthusiastic singer/tamborine man. Their reportoire included a number of tunes that the locals sung along to, thus making the atmosphere particularly warm and fuzzy.

Once they finished they exited stage left and a Flamenco dancer, a soulful wailer and a classical guitarist arrived to introduce themselves. They were, what I consider, typically Spanish looking; dark skin, ink black hair and deep black eyes. The flamenco lasted half an hour and had me entranced the entire time. It was a truly fabulous evening!

The next day brought us to Granada and a slightly kooky guesthouse which was run by a mildly insane spanish lady. She, Raquelle, insisted that we provided a two hour window for our arrival so that she could make sure she would be at the guesthouse at that time to let us in. We walked for a good twenty minutes in the pouring rain and freezing temperatures before locating La Casa Maria, we then found ourselves thumping on the door for a further fifteen minutes, still standing in said rain. Raquelle had decided to go out for a ¨potter¨around the shops rather than wait for us! Another fabulous tale!

Granada is a really unique and characterful place. It is a mountain town nestled at the foot of the snow clad Sierra Nevada. The houses are typically beautiful and the streets are cobbled in a delicious white grey marble. The city´s Arabic past lends a certain charm also, like the towering Moorish/muslim fortress, The Alhambra, which is set high on the hill and looms its protective embrace over the city. We woke at 6:30am and stood in the freezing cold for two hours so that we could have the privilage of visiting this historical magnificance. I was wearing a thousand layers (no exaggeration) of clothing to keep warm against the blistering cold. Despite that though we were estactic to get two tickets, which are a rare commodity apparently. The Alhambra is a suberb example of what the human race is capable of constructing in the name of religion and monarchy. We spent almost four hours exploring the lavish gardens, extensive walls and elaborate palacios and courtyards. It was a great piece of living history.

The remainder of our time in Granada was spent enjoying the free Tapas that come with every drink purchased. We had a wonderful guide, an old Uni friend of mine who now lives in Granada . The tapas is such a great way to enjoy socialising whilst consuming great food at the same time! Thanks to Jane, we got to experience some of the best of Granada´s Tapas. Thanks Jane (thanks also for dragging us up the hill of Sacromonte to see the gypsy caves and the wonderful view!!)!

Onwards and upwards again, we are now in Tarifa, a city where you can literally smell the scents of Africa. Across the sparkling Atlantic waters Africa looms, waiting to shock us with her frantic culture and seductive appeal...

¨Travelling is almost like talking with those of other centuries¨ Rene Descartes