Grenada 

Thursday - train ride to Grenada.  Flawless taxi trip to train station.  We easily found correct train and seats.  Train leaves on time.  Thinking how good is the Spanish train system when we suddenly stop in the middle of nowhere and stay stopped for some time.  Announcement in Spanish after a longish while and Spanish speaking people nod.  Rest of us still confused.  Eventually someone translates for us that train is broken down.  Will send another one.  Don't know when.  Eventually this happens and we are off again.  We also  stop at a number of smallish towns none of which I remember seeing on booking.  Not to worry.  Got to start new book and eventually got there.  Countryside uneventful.  Flat, brown and lots of olive trees.

Granada is very scenic.  Hotel is very old and quirky with a spiral staircase in room leading to a sitting area.  Fortunately bed and bathroom are downstairs.  Found a place for lunch and I had a gazpacho soup and Stephen a mixed salad.  Note absence of fried tapas.

Visited what we thought was the cathedral where Spanish Royalty are buried.  Very ornate but no sign of any fancy looking tombs.  Walked a bit further on and saw much bigger cathedral but really couldn't be bothered paying and seeing another cathedral so decided to visit some old alleyways that are full of Moroccan style shops in the Albaicin quarter.  No idea about the church we visited.  Old Arab quarter a bit touristy and think the brightly coloured plates look suspiciously like the ones I can buy at a Turkish shop at home. 

Then walked many winding stairs to the Mirador de San Nicholas which provides a stunning view of the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada.  Amazingly noone else was there.  We wish.  Actually everyone was very obliging and no trouble enjoying the views.  Ended up at a restaurant having a quiet glass of wine enjoying the view. Expected would be ridiculously expensive but wasn't. Believe that the people who live in the houses that you walk past as you ascend to this spot are manly artists.  Either that or mountain goats.

Enjoyed wandering through some very cute streets.  Nice atmosphere in the place.

Wandered out to dinner at 8.30pm.  Got the hang of this late dining.  Saw some flaminco dancing in one of the squares so tick that one off.  Tried to have a lighter dinner.  Stephen managed it with some lovely prawns in a garlic sauce.  I didn't; ending up with an enormous serving of calamari.  The size at least gave Stephen a chance to try both some local wine and a local beer.

Some photos of the Alhambra and one of the mainly lovely looking buildings in the old quarter.

Hotel has a sign inside saying "Casa del Padre Eterno 16th Century". However after vainly trying to work out who that was, worked out it was a ship not a person - a galleon of the Portuguese navy.  Think that's sort of correct and Stephen did find a large piece of wood in the foyer, commenting it looked like it came from a ship.  Hotel says it is made up of 2 small Mudejar buildings built in the first third of the 16th Century.  Anyway it is quirky with lots of different levels, internal courtyards etc. Great location. 

Friday in Grenada (10 May) - booked 10am visit to the Alhambra some months ago.  Were told that must be at entrance for Nasrid Palace 10 minutes beforehand or else.  Not so much spontaneity these days.  Breakfast at hotel uninspiring.  Can't believe capsule coffee in a country that does such good coffee.  Helpful American took charge of coffee machine directing all on its operation.

The Alhambra is quite spectacular.  The Moorish parts in particular in the Nasrid Palace are so stunning in parts so as to render you speechless.  One room reminded me of walking into a museum in Berlin and seeing the Gates of Ishtar.  At least the Nasrid Palace is still in situ. The Moors use of water was quite brilliant in helping to cool the place as was their use of shade and courtyards. 

Carlos V Palace looked quite Roman. (Catholic King).  Not as beautiful as the Nasrid Palace. 

The fort itself gives you great views over Grenada and could see parts of an old city wall.  Also lots of foundations spread around the place where old buildings used to be.  Amazing gardens full of trees and rose gardens.  Quite hard to capture in words and photos.  One of those places you don't forget.  Very glad we made the effort to get here.

After a leisurely stroll back through the After Life Gardens, Stephen declared a refreshment was needed so stopped at a cafe for a beer and juice. Also got presented with some meatballs in a tomato/risotto sauce.  This is quite common and costs nothing.  That was lunch.  Really not very hungry at all. Sitting at the cafe we noticed a statute out the front.  It was of a Jewish scholar (well modestly the plinth says he was a Doctor, philosopher and poet) from the 1100's. Bizarrely while reading about the Old Quarter the night before it was said this stature was the only acknowledgment of there being a Jewish Quarter in Grenada.  No synagogues in Grenada and the authorities aren't interested in remedying this.  Not gone looking for the statute so there you are. And that is him below.

Apparently is some religious festival on tomorrow of which I can find no trace of online. So may end up doing a 20minute walk to train station given road closures etc.