Sunday 29 April visiting the Alhambra in Granada!

When I made the spontaneous decision to visit Granada, I hadn't given too much thought to the logistics of visiting the Alhambra

.  Luckily I decided to look at Trip Advisor on the train from Seville & realized pretty quickly that if I hadn't purchased a ticket on line, the only way I would be assured of successfully seeing this icon, was to get up before dawn & make my way to the ticket office & stand in line until it opened at 8.00am!  That's exactly what I did!  To my surprise, the queue was enormous at 6.45am but there was great camaraderie & everyone starting talking to each other.  It was like a league of nations - we all came from different parts of the globe.  I was soon to find out what the fuss was all about.
Spring had arrived at the Alhambra!  The gardens at the Generalife were breathtaking.  The Nasrid Palaces & their gardens were mind blowing.  Just when I thought I had seen it all, there was something else that made me almost swoon. By the end of the day I had taken over 250 photos!
To top it off I walked around the Alcazaba which is one of the oldest parts of the Alhambra, including the ancient wall walk & its gardens & climbing to the top of the tower with the most dramatic views of Granada & the snow capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada.  I could not believe that I did not leave this incredible site until nearly six hours later!

Saturday 26 April in Granada

As I stumbled out in the dark in Seville to catch the early morning train to Granada

, the thought of "what on earth was I doing?"  had crossed my mind.  Three hours later all negative thoughts were quickly dispelled when I arrived in Granada.  As the taxi drove me to my accommodation in the centre of town, I caught glimpses of snow capped mountains.  I gasped because after being in fairly warm Seville, I had no idea that Granada was bordered by the Sierra Nevada.  I immediately indulged in "chocolato caliente y churros" - the most delicious thick, velvety hot chocolate into which you dip your melt in the mouth pastries.  Now I was ready for anything!  Granada had a completely different feel to that of Seville.  The buildings were more substantial & definitely less colourful - more European in the northern sense.  Suddenly I came across narrow alley ways that gave way to the Moorish influence, with market stalls selling local products under ceramic, Moorish arches.  As I kept walking, the imposing Catholic Cathedral towered over the nearby plazas & streets.  The market of St Augustin was in full swing with local vendors showing off their fresh fruits & vegetables.  I couldn't believe the size of the new season's asparagus!  Wherever I sat either for a drink or a rest, there seemed to be a variety of buskers who sang & played guitar like the "Gypsy Kings".  I knew I was in Andalucia!  That night I stumbled on a free concert outside the imposing facade of the Cathedral & listened to a wonderful singer/guitarist who was showcasing his new songs accompanied by an equally great flutist.  Not bad for one day!

Friday 25th April - My 2nd week in Seville

Now that the crowds have left Seville after the week of Semana Santa, I have begun to appreciate how livable this city is.  Every morning when walking to my Spanish language school from the Santa Cruz area to the city centre, I am amazed at how the locals are either washing or sweeping the narrow streets on a daily basis.  Parents walk their impeccably dressed children to school or give them a lift on the back of their bicycles.  People cannot help acknowledging each other due to the narrowness of the windy streets.  I cannot stop taking photos because Spring has arrived in Seville & the trees are now sprouting deliciously green leaves & the pots of geraniums have sprung into life with their reds, pinks & purples.  The mornings are crisp but by lunchtime the weather has warmed up & every available footpath has some form of outdoor seating for diners to enjoy long lunches.  The tourists fall under the magic spell of Seville & rather than seeing hordes of groups being marched to all the sites, the tourists happily succumb to the long lunch ethic & either just potter around, getting lost in the Santa Cruz area or stopping for the zillionth time (like myself) to take yet another photo.  In about nine days' time all that will change when the Feria

comes to town - a non stop party for a week!

Wednesday 23rd April - My First Flamenco Dance Lesson

Yes, I have done it!  My first Flamenco

dance lesson with committed Sevillianas who all seem to be 10ft tall with wiry bodies & determined looks of concentration on their faces.  In I come, as a novice, (not exactly tall or sinewy), into what seems like an advanced class.  The teacher, the only male in the room, is short, thin & powerful & accepts me into his class without a care in the world & tells me (in Spanish) that he recently had another Australian in his class.  So the music starts, my arms & hands are flying everywhere as I try to copy the dancers in front of me.  I have to pinch myself that I am taking part in this extraordinary dance where you do not need a partner & yet the passion is palpable with at least twenty pairs of feet stomping on the ground.  This is coupled with swaying bodies, amazing arm & hand movements & a live guitarist in a relatively small room.  It is quite intoxicating!  I am determined to buy my flamenco skirt before my next class on Monday!  The classes are held in Triana (refer to my blog 20/4/14) separated from Seville by the Guadalquivir River, but connected by a number of bridges, the main one being Puerta Isabel II.  As I walked home there was a glorious sunset which I managed to photograph.  Also the crowds have gone, the trams are now running & the barricades have come down.  Seville almost feels like home to me!

Monday 21st April in Seville!

I just wanted to share with you my daily routine trying to get to my Spanish language school from where I am staying near the Santa Cruz

area that is known for it's windy, impossibly narrow streets which mostly lack street signs.  At every twist & turn, one sees tourists scratching their heads, trying to make sense of the maps they are holding, because there is not one printed map that follows accurately the convoluted maize of streets in the Santa Cruz area.  After one week, I think I have finally mastered my way without having to refer to the map or having to ask a stranger in my broken Spanish, "where am I"?  I actually am starting to feel like a local!!!