The weather report forecast cold weather in Malaga and snow in Granada. Actually it was mild in Malaga but the rain did set in when we reached Torremolinos. John had this weird thing going about T. On telly it was the low cost British holiday place and he had to go there just to see what it was like. It was the Gold Coast minus the warm weather. There were endless sets of high rise holiday flats and the seafront was littered with places catering to Pommies who have a deep suspicion of "foreign muck". The rain had well set in when we arrived but Johnny still wanted a photo of himself on T beach. he looked as miserable as I felt. After a quick coffee at a seafront cafe full of grim faced elderly British tourists on summer holiday we jumped in the car and raced off to Granada. The rest of T looked decent enough but by this time my mind was closed to it.
This time we took the freeway and I was a much happier camper. I slept some of the way but woke in time to see the approach to Granada with the surrounding mountains wearing a mantle of snow. They really did look quite beautiful and a great contrast to the discount furniture palaces and light industry that lined our route into town. Once in Granada city centre it was really pleasant again. There were so many imposing stone faced 19th century (and older) buildings. The Alhambra looked down over the city like a benign parent.
Johnny had booked a great modern apartment in the city centre on one of the main roads. It was fabulous..spacious, sleek, well appointed and centrally located. We parked in a public car park behind the hotel and wheeled our cases around the block in no time. We even had a coffee machine and a complimentary bottle of red wine. We found a great modern place serving pizza downstairs and that was just enough to set us up for the afternoon.
As soon as we got our luggage in we set out on a walking tour. We took a path that began at the plaza nueva and followed the river at the base of the Alhambra. We passed the Arab baths and walked past the palace that now serves as the archeological museum. Right next to the river was the church of Santa Ana. There were so many bars and restaurants lining the route of the Paseo del Padre Manjon. We got to an area that had a central area frown over with ancient vines. It was windy but we could well imagine how popular it would be on late summer Spanish nights. At the top of this hill opposite the Alhambra there were so many large villas shut away behind heavy gates. We found one that was open to the public and wandered around the formal garden for a while before finding our way back to the tourist path.
We tried to be good and stick to the path but our eyes kept leading us astray. The whole historic hill town was a maze of alleyways so if you left the trail you could cut across and find another way through. As a last resort we could follow he trail of tourists who were walking with some purpose up the hill. We caught sight of a Korean tourist we saw in Malaga. We took a photo on her camera as she was touring alone. She, like us must have been doing a trip through Spain and not just the highlight cities.
There were all sorts of churches, plazas, convents and colleges up on the hill but to be truthful we lost track of what we were seeing. It was starting to get late and we could see some distant rain clouds beginning to look threatening so we planned to turn back. Just before we did, we chanced upon a wide terrace that allowed us to look across the river to the full profile of the Alhambra and across the whole of Granada to the distant hills. There were almost El Greco skies in the setting sun.The terrace was packed with tourists, artists and even a guitarist. The old church at the top was one of the few that didn't try to charge an entrance fee so we left a donation.
Coming back down the hill through the laneways we found a tiny convenience shop where we stopped to get a loaf of bread for breakfast on Saturday. Then it was all downhill through a very Arabic looking area to the Main Street. There were ladies painting hands with henna, bright Arabic lamp ships, shisha bars and of course restaurants. We'd become a little disoriented with all the lane twistings so it was a wonderful surprise when the bottom of the lane poured us into the Main Street just 50 metres from our apartment.
Dinner was a tagine for Johnny and charcoal lamb chops for me at a great Moroccan restaurant. the waiter was friendly and asked about the Australian bushfires he had seen on the news. We then took a walk along the river and back home for a well earned rest. Goodnight.
