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| The view of Granada from the Alhambra |
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The delights of cooking on a proper
stove in the cave |
Crossed the border back into Spain without incident, where
it was a beeline to Granada. After deciding to treat ourselves to a couple of
nights out of the tent, our first experience of Airbnb appeared to be a great
success – we had our very own little cave in Sacromonte for staying cool in the
searing heat of the south of Spain.
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| Another classic Granada view |
A relaxed start to the next morning was quickly interrupted
upon getting to the Gorge – Tony’s initial comment of “You’ve left it in quite
a mess” was quickly altered to “$#*&! and @(%^!” [insert your own four
letter words here], due to the car having been broken into and thoroughly
turned inside out. Bugger. After a huge initial panic, we realised that we did
still have our passports, and hadn’t lost anything major. Pretty gutting though
– we both felt like someone had been searching through our used underwear and
far from ideal that one of the Gorge’s locks was thoroughly mashed up. Tried to
be clever and lodge a police report online, but that failed miserably and the
telephone number we got was only giving a recorded Spanish message, so no joy
there!
 |
| At the top of Veleta |
 |
| Looking back at the Sierra Nevada range |
After taking stock, and choosing to head to a police station
that evening, we spent the rest of the day in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It
was also getting seriously hot by this time (40 plus), so we needed to get in
the air con of the car anyway! A brisk walk to Veleta (the third highest
mountain on the Iberian peninsula at 3,396m) cleared our heads, and offered
slightly more reasonable temperatures.
 |
The cave where the magic
Flamenco happened |
 |
Showing a bit of style and
panache |
That evening, an impromptu walking tour round Granada determined
that all police stations closed pretty early, so a bite to eat in the cave was
followed by a late night Flamenco session, again a good tonic to forget about
earlier misfortunes.
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| The intricate stonework at the Alhambra was amazing |
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| The Palace of Charles V |
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It may be late, but any time
is good for a bit of tapas! |
Key Learnings:
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Managed to get this photo
before she dazzled us with
the killer stare... |
1. Carry a bottle opener with you at all times in
Spain and Portugal - screwtops have not yet taken off, and you never know if a
fully equipped kitchen carries a working one. When you only have the screw
element, and a leatherman (minus corkscrew add-on), no amount of willpower and
effort will get the cork out!
2. Flamenco dancers come in all ages – the older
ones are not always keen on having their pictures taken.
3. Only in Spain would you order a beer at 1.30am
and get given a large plate of ham coleslaw for free to go with it!
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