Andrea's Visit

23rd June to 27th June

Andrea has been holidaying in Italy since April. She lives in Brisbane and we hardly ever see each other, but she was delighted when she heard that we would be close to Granada at the same time as she was in Italy and had enough room to put her up for a few nights. Ever since she saw a program about the Alhambra she has wanted to visit it so she arranged her timetable to suit us and booked the highlight for us all to go to see the Alhambra on her way back to Italy.

Having deposited Ian and Diane at the airport on Wednesday 23rd June, we picked Andrea up from there later the same day.

While Ian and Diane were here we began to wonder what was going on with the arrival of large trucks which began unloading strange looking shapes etc into the main square. Posters started appearing around town and a program entitled Fiestas de Alhama de Granada 24th to 27th June arrived at the front door. Having seen all the preparation it was unfortunate that Ian and Diane missed the start of the fair, but Andrea was here for most of it.

It was a bit like King of the Mountain meets the Noosa show with all the usual attractions. Motor cycle exhibitions, jumping castles and slippery dips, side show alley rides, stalls selling the usual sunglasses, leather goods, toys and the trilby hats which are all the rage here.









On the first day there were bike races for the school kids and a concert for the senior citizens.

There was a disco every night in what was called the Caseta Juventud which was held in the patio of the town hall. We called it the ‘blue light disco’ not only for the Aussie connection but because it was lit with blue lights and the local police were nearby.

The Sports Union took over one of the few car parks in town, so everyone had to find different parking spots – including us – and on Saturday night it was packed with football fans watching the Spain versus Chile match. Needless to say there was much excitement when Spain won.

There were lots of fast food outlets, and on the first night there was a band playing dance music which attracted a number of couples that looked as though their ages ranged from 50 to 80. Andrea was concerned that there were tables at that end that hardly had any takers by the time we were heading home, but we told her that we were leaving just as most of the locals were heading out. Hardly anything started before 10.00 pm and nearly everything ran late. On Sunday night (after Andrea was no longer in Alhama) the grand finale took place and there was not a spare seat anywhere near the stage.

We think that the performers were the 2009 winners of Spanish Idol who were appearing with an obviously well known Spanish professional called Marisol Delgado. We waited until the show started, but the sound system was not the best, and as we could not understand what she was saying or singing, we headed off to Bar El Tigre for a nightcap around 11.00pm. Antonio the owner of Bar El Tigre invited Andrea and me in for a sherry and it was on his TV that we saw Kevin and Julia.  The first bit of Aussie news in Espana!  Therese had sent a text telling us about it, so of course we began to follow it on the internet. 


As well as all the Fiesta activities we took Andrea through the Gorge to El Ventorro for lunch one day and while we ate out most of the time, she and I went shopping on Saturday morning and bought the shoulder quarter of a lamb which we cooked and ate at home before going to a concert in the Church. It was advertised as a choir of 13 tenors and baritones and it was being held on the smaller of the two main churches in town. It was advertised to start at 8.30 pm so we showed up then, but found that we had to sit through Mass before the concert began. The choir did sing throughout the Mass and Andrea and Brian were very patient. They sat through it and Brian says that because he spoke Spanish so clearly, he would like to have the Priest as his Spanish teacher!

On Sunday morning we headed off again for Granada and the Alhambra. Andrea had booked us into the Nasrid Palace between 9.30 and 10.00 am, and having learned that the optimal route was too windy and sunny when we took Ian and Diane there, we had a very good trip via the Autovia. It was slightly longer but far less stressful.

After about six hours we were Alhambrad out, so took Andrea to her hotel which was very nice. It is in the same chain of hotels that we stayed at in Madrid, but the sink in Andrea’s room was an opaque perspex whereas the one in Madrid was clear perspex – I really liked the clear one, but don’t know if I would buy one. Maybe just a bit too radical for conservative me.

After some very nice ice-cream in one of the main squares in Granada we left Andrea and headed back up to the car park and then back to Alhama.


Andrea had been to Barcelona before coming here and her enthusiasm about it reignited our interest as well. We had talked about going there but once we got settled in Alhama shelved the idea because it seemed such a long way to drive especially there and back. So Brian started looking at the internet. He has booked us to fly on Vueling the equivalent of Jetstar on Friday afternoon and return on Tuesday afternoon. He has also booked us into an apartment in the old town of Barcelona so we are both looking forward to a ‘short break’ as they say in England.


It is hard to believe that we are now more than half way through the trip. The time is going so quickly we’ve hardly had time to relax!

We have decided to visit Cordoba on our way back to Madrid and to spend one night in Aranjuez where the King has his summer palace – before we hit the big smoke for one more night before getting on the plane back to Seoul and then Brisbane where we arrive on 22nd July.

SATURDAY, SUNDAY and MONDAY.

Three more days that were much of the same. Brian started the morning by trying to buy some mussels and prawns at the newest fish shop in town – the lovely Adriana’s but gave up after two attempts because all the women ignored him, including Adriana. He says it is like the butcher shop syndrome in Oz where men are usually ignored, and according to him are seen as the cart horse to carry the purchases home. After listening to his complaints, Di and I braved the fish shop, and Brian was right, there was only one man there, and he did carry the purchases! However, I was impressed by the friendliness and courtesy of the women who were there. They all knew that I spoke and understood only a little Spanish but when another came and was told by Adriane that there were no more mussels other than the ones I had my eye on, she asked me if I was waiting to buy them, the rest told her that she should have come in earlier.

Took our purchases back home and then Ian, Diane and I, tried the remaining bars we had not been to. We decided that the best tapas were at Bar Ochoa, but have discovered that it is not open as often as all the others. Ian found some animals to photograph in the Plaza.

Ian and Diane cooked up a great lunch of seafood, and then we had to have a rest before heading out for more bar crawling, finishing off with a pizza – which was only so so. Then out to see the English wedding party at the big church – were astounded to see some of the men in really nice outfits wearing thongs! And I’m amazed at how the girls manage the cobble stone streets in those really high heels!

Brian spent most of the day working out how we could play cards with the pack that he had bought on Friday. They are Spanish but have suits that are coins, swords, cups and clubs. When we came back around midnight, he taught us all the rules. Diane reckoned he was inventing them but she came out the winner so Ian and I don’t know what she had to complain about!

SUNDAY was motor cycle racing in Spain, so while Ian spent about 6 hours glued to the TV set, and Brian went back to the card game rules, Diane and I responded to the Church bells and went in for the first half of midday Mass.

Then off to the other restaurant at the end of the Gorge – El Pato Loco (The Mad Duck). Definitely the best restaurant so far. We had a parrilla (which is a type of BBQ or grill) plus a delicious red pepper salad and then Brian and Diane had desert.

Brian went back to the card rules and we went for a walk to the thermal pools at the opposite end of town.


MONDAY

We drove down to the coast to La Herradura to give Ian and Diane a look at the coast. It was a beautiful day. We drove along the beach, and then walked down to find the restaurant recommended in the Lonely Planet. It turned out to be very good, but muy caro (very expensive) compared to the ones in Alhama.








TUESDAY


Early morning start – up at 6.30 to leave for Granada at 7.30 so that Ian and Diane could get into the Nasrid Palace, at the Alhambra at their appointed time slot of 9.30 – 10.00.


We made it but Brian found driving east into the sun a bit difficult – we went later in the day the last time and then it was not a problem. However, Sofia got us there with time to spare.


We then checked into the Hotel Alixares which Ian had found and booked into before leaving home and then Brian subsequently booked a room for us... We had intended only to leave the car there, but the man on reception changed the room numbers we had originally been allocated and allowed us to check in at 9.30 instead of waiting until 2.00pm. We were very happy because they had all their heavy camping etc luggage in the car
We explored parts of Granada we had not seen last time and met up for dinner followed by drinks on the roof top of the hotel. It would be spectacular on a night when both the Alhambra and the Albayzin are lit, but that probably only happens on weekends.


WEDNESDAY


After breakfast, Diane and I went down to the Cathedral and a wander through the Albayzin. Then back to the Hotel and off to the airport. Sofia let us down this time and it was a pretty stressful trip through Granada. There is a warning that says that she is only an aid, and on this occasion she took us through down town Granada when it would have been much easier if we had gone another way. Just goes to show that you can’t beat local knowledge.