Cuevas

Cave wall writings from two nights ago...

I'm writing this from in our cave. We're staying in Guadix in a cave house we were told about by an English woman whom we met in Granada yesterday. Like dutiful travellers we took the advice, and it's quite an experience.If I look up to the ceiling I can see pick marks in the stone.When we told Henry this morning that we'd be staying in a cave tonight he imagined dripping walls, spiders, stalactites, monsters with big yucky noses, and bits falling in. Sadly for him it's not like that. The walls look dug out but are painted white and plastered in places. It's not a bad temperature inside, outside it's cold about 5 degrees here. We were told the caves keep a regular temperature and that the ground naturally heats the rooms. It'd be nice to have a bit more fresh air but it is a cave, it's not damp though.

This morning we got up slowly after our cocktail night, dragged Henry kicking and screaming into the day. We're not sure why but he was a monster today. Maybe just tired after all the changes and playing with all the big kids at the hostel. Henry and Bella befriended Josh yesterday, a Jewish American boy from Tennessee who plays the accordian for a living and has been for 3 years. He's only 18 and is travelling the world supporting himself by busking. He left school at 15 and home schooled then travelled. He told us last night he's found a cave and a friendly Polish guy and his girlfriend are going to help him fix it up. He is a mine of hints and tid bits for fellow travellers. You hear all kinds of stories from amazing people being in hostels that you'd never know about otherwise. There are quite a few 18 year old Canadian and American students travelling by themselves or with friends between college and University or jobs. I think they are amazingly brave to take off to Morocco, Spain and other countries to explore. There is so much to see though it's good to start early. It's got to be good for the world to have us travel and see how others live.

We checked out of the hostel after consuming our share of the Oasis's toast, pancakes, jam and coffee. We said our goodbyes to many fun and interesting people from Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, Quebec, Canada, USA, Belgium, NZ, Australia, Spain and the UK. Next it was finally time to see...The Alhambra, a fabled place of which travellers speak in prose. We'd had people recommend it to us in Carcassonne Spain and Portugal. We were a bit worried we'd miss out as they only allow limited visitors each day. You can pre-book tickets online but we hadn't arranged anything. There aren't too many tourists about now, the poor people are back at work or waiting until the warmth is back. It's cold now, we thought it would be warm here and didn't bring jackets but I wish I had. During the day it is nice in the sun but in the shade you can shiver.

Anyway, we dragged Henry to a market just one block off Gran Via de Colon for Tapas for a fill up of his engine then we started trudging towards the hill. There were a few signs directing us to the Alhambra but they soon petered out. We followed our noses and this time it worked soon we were on a very steep street up the the old Moorish remains. Tickets were no problem and we also got audio guides which were well worth it for more detailed history. Henry loved having a guide for himself he found each number on the signs and plugged it in to hear about the carvings. It was funny to hear him telling Wendy things from the guide he'd learnt. "Mummy there was a fire and the roof burnt down".

The Alhambra was an unexpected gem. Despite people telling us we must visit it I still wasn't ready for the beauty, tranquility and intricacy of the palace. King Carlos V's palace there was impressive too but the Nasrid princes made something very special. The view over Granada is spectacular, I could have let my eyes wander over the old city for hours, maybe with the assistance of a Vino Tinto or a few coffees. Wendy possibly may have been able to stay still to take in the view for a few more minutes too. I ran my hand over the plaster wall carvings imagining the people that had done the same about 700 years ago. I've been trying to get Henry to take the time to take in the details. He's patient with me at least.

People have said Granada is better than Seville and to spend more time there but I'm not so sure. The Alhambra is stunning, the old city in Seville is stunning as is the Giralda Cathedral. Seville has more of a European feeling, walking through Granada it would be easy to think you are in a Moroccan street. Tea shops line some alleys, especially near the Oasis hostel. Cobbled alleys twist and turn and you soon learn to go in a general direction. Driving gets really interesting instead of trying to go around the block go back, the blocks can be amazingly confusing with one way streets and changes in contours all of a sudden. No wonder these people were such good sailors and explorers. You need an intricate knowledge of the stars just to get home in Granada and Seville.