Granada

We left Rhonda and headed for our next destination, Granada. The drive was not too long but we made one stop in Antequera. There was no reason for this stop. It was a biggish town and parking was difficult. After ditching the car in a multi level park we went for a walk in the gardens which had a medieval festival. There was some stalls, kids games and the worst coffee in Spain. Arriving in Granada was a nightmare. Unlike last time we were here, many of the streets were closed as they are adding tram tracks or a metro or something. After nearly two hours, and being pulled over by a tourist information officer on a motorcycle, we found the hotel. We ditched the bags and Lyn and Kevin, but still had to find a park. Taking a few wrong turns we first ended up on a pedestrianised street, a one-way street to nowhere, and then 20km on the highway towards Madrid. Another couple of hours passed and we managed to get back to Granada, the hotel and a carpark not too far away. Just in time for beer o clock!
In the evening we went for a walk which was nice. We saw the river that runs through the middle of town. Even though we were here last year, we didn’t know there was a river! As we headed back from our walk we saw some marching bands getting set up and playing a few tunes. We followed them for a bit before heading back to our room. Little did we know, until now, but the parade was actually a religious parade, and passed right by our hotel. This made our first floor balcony very handy as we had one of the best views of this parade in town.
After the parade and all the crowd had passed we headed up a nearby street to a tapas bar for dinner. The next morning there was no rush! We had a great hotel breakfast and then headed out to have a walk around Granada. Granada is a lovely town, with a lot of hills and winding streets. Our walk took us through some of the main town squares, past churches, views of the Alahambra and the big cathedral. It finished in a street which had some markets, this is where we left the girls. The boys headed to a tapas bar for lunch followed by a few pints in one of the Irish Pubs, watching the All Ireland Gaelic Football final. The publican was the highlight of the bar, a true Irishman. At one stage he told everyone he would be back in a few minutes and bolted up the street (leaving the bar unattended), 5 min later returning with a bag of ice. He also let some poms use his laptop to watch a soccer game and ordered food from the kebab shop across the road for a big table of his regulars!
Granada = Tapas. Unlike most places in Spain, in Granada when you order a drink in a Tapas bar, it comes served with a free plate of food. We learnt last night that some of it is a bit bland. Tonight we ate dinner at Minotauro Cerveceria, a tapas bar we visited last year, that has really good quality food with the drinks. Although I would have liked to try, we didn’t make it through the full list of tapas available (20 odd different plates).
The next morning Lyn and Kevin visited the Alhambra, and we slept in! Please note, anyone who is going to Granada, you have to visit the Alahambra, its amazing, and you should book your tickets a week or so in advance. We hadn’t done this so had to pay extra to get on a guided tour.
When they made it back we had stocked the fridge and prepared some food for dinner, just snacks and antipasta with beer, sangria, wine and liquor. Our last night together in Spain.