Parador Granada

... was perched almost on the top of the mountain. Upon arriving in Frigiliana by bus, we had to hike through the entire village and then take another 600 steps up the steep side of the mountain. It afforded us beautiful views, incredible peace and quiet, and plenty of exercise. Avocado, olive, lemon, and orange trees surrounded the area. It was a wonderful place to rest and relax during Thanksgiving week.

Paul's cousin ...

... travail, je peux laisser mes pensées venir puis les laisser s'en aller... je récolte du maïs, puis désherbe le champ à la pioche; je grimpe dans les arbres pour cueillir des oranges (mmmhhh que de bonnes odeurs et de goûts délicieux); je désherbe un canal pour amener l'eau de la montagne dans les champs; je récolte du basilic, des amandes et je fais du pesto maison!!! mmmhh que c'est bon d'être en contact avec la terre qui me nourrit...

... going and ended up on a dead end, one way street. I happened to glance down the alley and saw a cute little restaurant. We had lunch there and it was great!

Back on the road to Granada. The mountains were beautiful and snow capped. It was a beautiful 1.5 hour drive. We both fell in love with Granada when we first saw it. We were nervous about staying in a big city, but we're so glad we did. Granada is surrounded by amazing hills ...

After all the driving yesterday, we decided we didn't want to get in the car and drive anywhere today. So we spent the whole day at the beach. Shae played with several new friends from the uk. She was digging in the sand for about 4 hours. I don't even think she made it to the water. It was a very relaxing day. Later we drove into a nearby ...

... through the windy mountain roads, Mike found an awesome place to run. He drove us back to the house and set out for a 12 mile run through the mountains. he loved it. We headed into Burriana for dinner and planned to eat at Ayo a good paella restaurant recommended by Susan, who helped us with the house. Unfortunately, Ayo was closed for the evening so we walked around looking for another place to eat. We came upon a little cafe that served Thai/Indonesian ...

... buildiungs there, actually almost all of them are arabic, not spanish. Even all the churches in Granada used to be mosques (because again, the arabic people lived there for a lonnnnnnggg time), but they were all converted when the catholics came. I also learned that Granada means pomegranite, and that they have song bird fights....They put song birds in cages, 1 male in each cage, and a female in a separate cage, and then release them. The male birds literally dance, and look ...

... cold and had the slightest acrophobia. We descended. Gibraltar, as anyone may know, is British territory. The signs are in English; the prices in Sterling, there are pubs and people saying, "Cheers." But I am sure you would be hard-pressed to find someone who knew what was inside The Rock. Well, I'll tell you. It's a friggin' cave! With stalactites and stalagmites, with dark crevices and "bottomless" gorges, with water dripping and that ...

since money is so low, sought cheapest possible sustenance at the local tienda:  chorizo and manchego on baguette with tempranillo.  this formula represents 2-3 meals per day and i haven't had a coronary event yet.   ate fantastic couscous with beef and vegetables (and freshly squeezed orange juice) at a local moroccan restaurant for only 7.50 euros.  gardens of zoraya is at least 3 times that expensive, hence why one should only go ...

... area of La Alhambra. It was made up of large terraces, orchards, ornamental gardens and a palace. Some of the gardens were closed for maintenance, there was more than enough open to enjoy and sit and relax in. One sit we found looked back over a gully towards the Nasrid Palaces. It made for a beautiful green view. The palace was full of high ceilinged rooms and a large courtyard that was cooled by the rectangular pool and its ...

... and marrying the wrong girl, and settling down too soon, and how I felt trapped. Everyone was generous in their advice, and pretty much told me if I didn't want to settle down, don't settle down. There were so many people who had finished university, worked for 5 months, then randomly quit their job, moved their stuff into storage, and set out on the road for the rest of the year. These stories really give me hope that I'm not going to succumb to the white collar grind that so ...