Sunday 6th June - Granada and the Feast of Corpus Christi

Yesterday we went into Granada to familiarise ourselves with the route and to enjoy the sites.

The route was very pleasant back through Embalse de Los Bermejales and then to southern Granada and on to the parking area at the Alhambra.  It took about an hour and there was not much traffic, although Brian says he wishes they had shoulders on the roads and a centre line!  Once we got there, it was all very familiar because we had stayed in the Britz Hotel at the foot of the hill that leads up to the car park for three or four nights when we were here 4 years ago.  Went into the wrong car park to start with - it was for the cemetery, but after discovering our mistake got a nice shady spot where we left the car for the rest of the day.  We both remarked how glad we are that we have the Navmag!  I'm sure we would not be talking to each other if I had to navigate while he drives.  Every now and then she does sound a bit resigned especially when she says 'please do a U turn if possible'!

Walked down to the main square and then into the Albayzin area where we had a drink and some tapas.  Wandered around the main drag and remarked upon the fact that what has been happening in Alhama all this week, appeared to have been happening in Granada as well.  i.e. the covering of the streets with a type of garden mesh - lightish camel in colour rather than green.  We thought it was to provide shade from the hot sun because we have found it very pleasant walking underneath it in Alhama, but were a little perplexed about it being over the road on the main drag in Granada! 

Today we have the answer - the procession in honour of the Feast of Corpus Christie.  More about that later, but Granada is in Festive mode.  There are structures of lights across the main roads and posters about dance festivals and other musical happenings. 

After leaving the old Moorish part of town, we went to the  Christian one around the Cathedral and it was buzzing with masses of people.  We were too late for what looked like a major market, but saw lots of women in Flamenco style dresses - really colourful and being worn by women of all ages - some really old and some very young, and my guess is that they had been performing at the market.  It seems as though something like the Festival of Sydney or Adelaide is taking place in Granda in June, so we might get to see more later on when we make more visits there.

After we had complied with Sofia's request to please make a U turn the journey back was uneventful.
Had bacon and egg for dinner at home and some horrible Rose wine which Brian got from the Dia supermarket, the only one in Alhama that is open on Saturday afternoons and Sundays.  I ended up with an awful headache as well - it seems like that horrible stuff called Cold Duck we used to get in Oz in the 70s.

This morning we were startled by an explosion of both bells and rockets which turned  out to be the heralding of the Feast of Corpus Christie. When we got back last night there were notices about a Procession and telling people not to park where we usually do.  Brian took the car to another spot and this morning the street where we usually park was covered with sheaths of green vegetation.  I remember when we used to participate in the Corpus Christie processions at Manly in Sydney, they did a similar thing in the grounds of St Patrick's Seminary, but can't remember what it symbolised. 

There were more very loud bangs and much ringing of bells by 10.00 a.m. Mass seems to have started around 10.30 am and then people started parading down the street.  We went to the front of the main church and there were altars and banners

and flowers hanging from the balconies.  The procession started around 11.30 with what we used to call Sodality Banners, followed by young boys dressed in white suits and young girls dressed in their white communion dresses.  The girls were carrying baskets of rose petals - which they dropped outside the main church doors and along the way.  They were followed by the Priest and then came one of those platforms with a statue on it that needs about 20 men to carry  it.  Then the band - mostly young men and women and then the general congregation most of them dressed in their Sunday best. 

The rockets continued to be launched until about 12.30 and then the whole town seemed to close down.  Everything was very very quite.

If you 'right' click on the pic above this text you will see this is 'Senora Pyrotechnic' (Senor had gone to get more rockets). It's a good case study of  "light blue touch paper and stand well back".

After this eventful weekend, we are both very glad that we decided to come to Alhama rather than to Granada - everything here is at a much slower pace and so much easier to see and enjoy.

Brian's good deed

Friday is market day in Alhama and the market is held at the bottom of a very steep hill.  We went this morning to buy some oranges, lemons, and cherries.  On the way back up the hill we met a small woman carrying a bag of potatos.  We don't know what they weighed, but the bag looked very heavy because the woman carrying them had stopped for a rest.  I should add that it was also extremely hot - the temperature for the past few days has been in the mid 30s and very sunny.

As Brian was carrying our purchases, I tried to help her as she started off again but the bag kept slipping and I had to stop.  Brian took over then, but the same thing happened to him. He then discovered that she had got one of the potatos and pushed it into the corner of the bag and that was how she was able to carry it without it slipping from her hand.  They progressed to the top of the first part of the hill, when she needed a rest and then he took it from her altogether and carried it on his shoulder all the way to her house.  We chatted in Spanish for most of the way, catching some of what she said, but missing most of it, but when we finally got there she insisted on introducing us to her mother.  

We had already identified the area we were in, as one of the poorer parts of town and this was born out when we met the mother.  She is a tiny little woman who looks as though she has spent  most of her life working in the fields and it seemed to me that she doesn't have a single tooth left.  She was delighted that we had helped her and offered us a drink, but we declined and headed back to the other side of the Church which appears to be a bit more prosperous.

The bag was one of those plastic string ones and the weight has ranged from 10 to 30 kilos!  Because the potatos were unwashed, Brian has carried the evidence of his good deed around on his grey shirt, and almost looks like a local - only trouble is that he is so much taller!  Muy alto as they say in Spanish. 

Yesterday after lunch we took a drive in the opposite direction to Granada and made a circular route toward Jatar and then to Arenas del Rey (Sands of the King).  It is a small town where we took some photos of the plaza de Alfonso and the Church and then on to a huge lake created by a dam across the Alhama and Cacin rivers.

We followed a sign to a Mirador and Bar (lookout) but no joy with the bar, so walked back to the main road where we chatted to a gentleman who come over to tell us that the dam was not full at the moment and that there was no where open where we could get a drink!

Walked to the centre of the dam wall and took some photos, as the view to the Sierra Tejeda is impressive.  The dam has the name Los Bermejales.

Came back for a rest and went out for dinner last night to the second of the restaurants we have tried in town.  The first one Meson Diego was where we had lunch one day last week, and last night's is called Al Dente.  As the name suggests it is mostly Italian and we both had pasta. As usual we were far too early - we got there around 8.15, but everyone sits around drinking if they get out that early and don't start eating until around 9.30 or 10.00.