Granada 18 th June

I got to the airport with heaps of time to spare and then tried to check in and get a luggage tag. After three abortive attempts I realise there is English available and I get it sorted! The bag drop still wasnt open so I went looking for breakfast. It is a pain dragging the bag around. Good old McDonald's always open and a reasonable choice of yoghurt and cereal and coffee. Finally dropped the bag and I was pleased to find it iwas only 17 kg though it seems more when you are dragging it around.

I have to go through security twice! First the IPad must come out which I have never had to do before and then when I go through again I set off the beeper and get a full pat down. I have to take off boots here too. Barajas Madrid airport is huge. They have times listed on the signs to the gates, like 8 mins! The plane is half empty so it is a very comfy trip. At Malaga airport I meet an American from Kansas who has been reading the Phryne Fisher stories and she was thrilled to hear there was a TV series available.

I head off to find the bus to Granada and need to wait an hour but I don't mind as I am now well into the Game of Thrones book 3 Part 1.

The bus is really comfy. The ticket includes a bottle of water and two small snacks as well as earphones for the audio screen. I take my seat and when we get to Malaga a guy comes up and says I am in his seat. I can't find my ticket so I move and hope like hell no one else asks me to move. Only some seats seem to be allocated( pre-booked perhaps). All goes well and the trip is quite interesting. The country is drying off even though there are still patches of snow on the Sierra Navada mountains in the background.  When I get to Granada the information desk staff telll me that the Alhambra is booked out and I will have to get there really early to queue. She is a great sales person and I sign up for a discounted walking tour at 6:00 pm as well. I hope I can get in as that is my main objective in coming to Granada. I get  to the Pension and it is very close to the city.  Once settled I head off to the tour meeting point. 

While at the meeting point I meet  a German girl Karen and we set off for our tour with a small group and a gorgeous German, English, Spanish speaking guide called Hamas. He is very informative and we covered the old city Abayzin and the Sacramonte. I am intrigued to discover there is a large hippy community living in the caves above the Albayzin.

Looking to the Alhambra from St Nicolas viewpoint.

Some Senaglese drummers on the hippy hill.

Karen and I go for dinner after the tour and we really hit it off. She is great company. Karen has been told that we need to be at the Alhambra gate at 7:30 in order to get in as the numbers are controlled to 7,000 per day! It is the most visited monument in Spain. We feel that if we go together we won't sleep in because we know someone is waiting. We are both tired because she was up at 5:00 to fly from  Munich and I was up at about the same time after a restless night. It is still nearly midnight by the time we get home. These Spanish nights get away from you.