I adore Southern Spain

Trip Start Jun 29, 2008
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Trip End Nov 27, 2008

Flag of Spain and Canary Islands  , Andalusia,
Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Southern Spain is charming - a marvellous place to recharge your batteries!! We commenced our week here in Granada, travelling there via train from Madrid, our entry point. Prior to leaving Brisbane, we had been unable to get visas for Tibet - no-one was allowed entry, and any mention of it at the Chinese embassy would result in no China visas either. For this reason, we had allowed Madrid as a possible site to hopefully arrange visas for Tibet, if all had settled after the Olympic Games. As it is, things have settled so much, that we are going to be able to get our visas as a group in Nepal. So there was no need to hang around in Madrid, and we hot-footed it out of there.

We stayed at a fantastic place in Granada in the Albaicin, an area of narrow cobblestone passages. We had our first tea and coffee making facilities since Paris, and I finally got to use some of my tea bags I have been carrying around. There was a great view from the terrace of the Alhambra, improved on again by heading just a little uphill to the mirador, where there was a square where people gather at all times of the day and evening to have a drink and soak up the atmosphere and the view.

The inside of the Alhambra is impressive to say the least. The carving work is delicate and intricate and the gardens delightful. This is definitely a place I could happily return to again. The view over the rest of Granada is spectacular. Unfortunately for us, there was light drizzle throughout our visit. Ben pointed out, however, that we should be glad for rain having been thoroughly over the desert environs of our recent travels!

I have been wondering whether a warranty for luggage is valid if bags are wheeled over cobblestones - not that I did that (if anyone from Antler happens to be reading this). If I had pulled my bag over the cobbles down the hill to the main plaza, then it might have acted as a second wake up call to everyone in the Albaicin district. Wake up call one had been the church bells, accompanied by the howling of the local dogs who appeared to take exception to the church bells.
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