It's a beautiful sunny morning in Granada, this first day of 2015.
I'm a little behind in my blogs. We're staying in a hotel where the wifi is painfully slow, and it has been impossible to upload photos/videos. So stay tuned ... I'll begin sharing photos and videos tomorrow upon my arrival in Seville where I hope my accommodations will offer better connectivity.
Here's a synopsis of the last several days.
I left Madrid on December 30 and traveled by bus to Granada. The landscape along the way was "dépaysant", a word in French that roughly equates to "exotic, foreign" ... olive groves as far as the eye could see. We descended from the high plane where Madrid is located to an area of rolling hills, followed by mountainous terrain. In fact, the backdrop to Granada is a snow-covered sierra. The trip lasted 4.5 hours, and I arrived in Granada at 1:30 in the afternoon, took a local bus for 30 minutes from the city's main bus terminal and arrived at our hotel, formerly a monastery. We're located a several-minute walk to the historic city centre.
Granada is an amazing place, and this is my first time to the Andalucia region of Spain. Sun in abundance. Cold at night .... it was -7c on New Year's Eve, but this didn't deter the mass of people who descended upon the streets and plazas just before midnight and into the early hours of the morning.
click here to read about Granada
Fred arrived late in the afternoon on December 30 from Marseille, and we rushed to a restaurant, La Oliva, in the historical centre, where we had a 7 pm dinner reservation. We were among 14 who sat down in a quaint and cozy setting to a culinary feast featuring local products ... olive oils, cheeses, pâtés, local produce, seafood, cured ham, among them. There were 15 courses paired with 5 local wines ... a sparkling wine, followed by 2 whites (one dry, the other I can't remember), a marvelous red (tempranillo/cabernet sauvignon) and lastly, a sweet wine made from raisins. The owner/chef worked with a staff of 3 young ladies ... in the open ... as if we were actually dining in his kitchen. We watched as they worked to assemble each course. Wonderful experience ... well, at least the part that I can remember clearly, because at some point the wine caused my recollection of things to grow fuzzy. I do remember Fred asking me, "Did you just fall asleep? (I think I did, in fact.) And I wasn't the only one who fell under the spell of the elixir; we have a hilarious photo of a French woman at the next table, all smiles and bubbly at the start, who appeared to have entered a trance.
On December 31, we were up early and climbing the steep (really steep) city streets and alleyways to arrive at the Alhambra Visitor Centre. As a Christmas gift to both of us, Fred had arranged a group tour of the majestic and seriously awe-inspiring Alhambra Palace and Gardens. The tour began at 9:30 and lasted approximately 3 hours. It's hard to put into words the beauty and magnificence of this place which has a history worth reading. I encourage you to check out the following link.
click here to read more about the Alhambra
We left the grounds of the Alhambra and lunched at a nearby restaurant full of Korean tourists, bowing from table to table. As I'm on a quest to savour the best Spanish tortilla (a kind of egg and potato omelette), I ordered that as the main course of the menu-of-the-day. I started with a tasty vegetable soup, and this warmed my bones that were chilled during the tour through the frigid chambers of the Alhambra. Following lunch, we returned to the Alhambra grounds to visit the gardens. I'll refrain from trying to describe them, as any description would be inadequate. You'll have to wait for the photos.
On New Year's Eve, we left the hotel at 10 pm in search of a bite to eat. The streets, illuminated by Christmas lights, were deserted, and this is no exaggeration. Families customarily dine together at home on New Year's Eve. We found 2 eateries open, one that was so packed that waiting for a table would have been our last foolish hope of 2014, and the other was a kebab place with a long line of foreigners like ourselves. Not wanting to be late for the fireworks display at midnight in the plaza just opposite the City Hall, we settled for carry-out doner kebabs (spelled doner kebaps here) and, in sub-freezing temperatures, sat on a bench on a main street that was beginning to show increasing signs of life. What stood out is that people really dress up for New Years Eve. Entire families, well healed, descended upon the streets in huge numbers. This meal, in such stark contrast to the one from the previous evening, and given the circumstances, will go down in our history as one of the most uncommon and zany experiences. Fortunately, the doner kebabs were tasty and satisfying.
By the time we reached the plaza, the taste of doner kebab still on our lips, we came upon a mass of people. We forced our way into the centre of the crowd, near the stage. Finally, the countdown ... this was so amazing! I will never forget the energy and excitement of that moment. The arrival of midnight was anti-climactic. Where the ball at Times Square falls and fireworks are launched above the Arc de Triomphe promptly at midnight ... here, a new count to 12 begins, one for each month. The custom here is to eat a grape, one each second, as a symbol of good fortune for each month of the new year. Then, the fireworks began, an amazing display unfolding above our heads. People had congregated as far as our eyes could see. The musical backdrop was Coldplay's Viva la Vida. Pure adrenalin rush. The fireworks display was followed by live music, a group performing Beatles classics, and I can't help but recall the entire audience singing, "We all live in a yellow submarine ,,,"
So, that brings us up to date (without the numerous photos and videos that will be shared in the days ahead). We just finished breakfast in what used to be the monks' refectory, and we will set out shortly to explore the Albayzín (or Albaicín), a neighborhood much visited by tourists and locals who flock there because of its historical associations, architecture, landscape and street life. Just before sunset and at the universally recognized best vantage point in Albayzin, we will take photos of the Alhambra, flooded by the last light of the day and with the snow-covered sierra as a backdrop.
Tomorrow, the second day of January of this new year, we will part ways. Fred will return to France, and I will continue my journey to Seville.
Stay tuned.
