Bali 2010 Days 2 & 3

Day 2 April 10 2010 

We all awake feeling very refreshed and decide that a swim is in order.  While relaxing in the pool the staff come to cook our breakfast, how good is that???  We all have scrambled eggs, fruit, juices, hash browns and toast.  After breakfast we take a walk along the beach which is about 5 mins away.  We head north to Kerobokan and when we decide to come back we head inland to the main drag.  However, we haven’t realised that the main road is not perpendicular to the beach and it is about another 45 min walk back to the villa.  Margie’s blisters are getting worse, not helped by the fact that she is now walking barefoot.  And she is a nurse so should have known better!

  

We are half an hour late for our massage but this is no problem.  Much like everything else in Bali, Bali time is different to Western time!  The girls come and hand us a sarong and a little black plastic thing-a-me-bob.  Oh my God, it’s plastic undies that we have to wear during our massage!!  Howard and I are laughing our heads off – neither of us can figure out which is front and which is back!  It’s actually quite embarrassing but I am content to think that the girls see this all the time and it wouldn’t be anything new for them. 

When you take the pics you can make sure there are no recriminating ones of yourself!!

 We start off with a foot massage then get led over to the mats on the floor for an oil body massage.  My masseuse gets exceedingly close to my googlies as does Howard’s.   

 We have a massage for about an hour and then it is followed by a body scrub with frangipani oil and coconut oil.  At the end we all felt so relaxed and comfortable.  And yes, Howard had the whole massage!  We have showers while the staff come in to cook our lunches for us.  I think I could get used to this!

 After lunch it’s off to Kuta Square to do a bit of shopping.  We take a taxi (can’t find a Blue Bird) and insist that the driver use the meter.  Costs about Rp 50,000 to get there.  We go into the first of many Polo stores and there is a special on – how convenient is that??  50% off if you buy 3 or more!  So we buy 4 at AUS$22 each.  We then go to the DVD store that Margie uses, 10 DVD’s for Rp100,000 plus 4 thrown in for free.  We end up getting 28 at 85 cents each.  We go to the department store center and wander around, and there are 5 more Polo shops that we go into.  Howard has a coffee at a coffee shop which is the best coffee he has the whole trip. 

 We hail another taxi back home, this guy was just a weirdo and was waffling on about stuff that we didn’t understand.  It would appear that taxi drivers here work 7 days a week.  Was good to get back to Alu Bali!!

 Margie and I feeling very peckish for Chilli Crab and I had previously read a review on tripadvisor for Mini Restaurant in Tuban.  We asked Weira for directions telling him that evidently they serve the best Chilli Crab in all of Bali.  He couldn’t find any reference to Mini restaurant but gave us directions to another restaurant that was also known for its Chilli Crab.  After a few drinks we get a taxi to take us to the restaurant which is a FAIR WAY OUT of Seminyak, practically in Denpasar.  It is very suburban, with formica tables and cheap lighting and Howard is instantly put off by it given its ambience (or lack thereof) but there are no other tourists, just locals, so it must be good.  It is, in fact, fantastic!  Margie and I order the Chilli Crab but Howard decides he doesn’t want crab.  After perusing the menu he finally decides that he will order the crab and corn soup, only to be told by the waiter that it is for six people.  We all crack up at that and he finally decides on the Nasi Goreng.  We drink more Bintang -yeah!  Take taxi home to find that our angels have everything under control 

 Just a word about Howard – in Melbourne he is quite happy to go to the daggiest restaurants for Vietnamese or Chinese because he knows that these probably serve the best food.  It’s just that on holidays he wants to go somewhere special.

 Day 3, April 11 2010 

 We have an early start to today as we are going white water rafting.  We are being picked up after breakfast at 8 am by Bali Explore Tours.  The total cost was US$35 per person which included transfers, rafting and lunch.  Our driver was Putu who had the most infectious laugh!  He is 29 and not married – we tell him that we will find him a wife!  His van is older than most, most of the vehicles that we have seen are all new and washed every day.  Not a dent in sight which I find quite amazing given how they drive here!  Unfortunately we don’t take our cameras today so no photos!

 We get up to Telaga River after two hours and our rafting guide is Nang.  Margie is wearing blue and red today and she spots a blue and red boat and hopes that it is ours!  It is, so at least one of us is colour coordinated!

 We have a great ride down the river, lush and full of spectacular scenery, we see rice fields and the locals bathing in the river as we go past.    We see many waterfalls and at one stage Nang takes us under one.  Just a fantastic feeling with the water pouring down on you!!  Halfway down the river we stop to have a Bintang.  Some of the words to describe today from all of us are:  fun, exhilarating, pure air, simplicity, the birds.  It was hard work going down the river. At one stage I look over at Howard to see him lying back, arms spread out just relaxing.  I ask him if he thinks he is Cleopatra on some sort of barge on the Nile!!

 Not too many steps up to the base where we were able to change into dry clothes and have a buffet lunch.  All in all it wasn’t the most dangerous of rides but it was great fun and we were very tired on the way home. Having said that, I almost fell out of the boat twice as it gets very slippery in the middle (Margie was in the front, Howard and I were in the middle and Nang was at the back).  

 Nang didn’t know Margie’s name so he just called her “Mama -he neglected to also say “Big, hot-” before it so she wasn’t all that impressed with him!!

 Putu takes us back to the villa and we decide to hire him to take us up to Ubud later in the week.  We decide that once we were are at home we will have another swim and the heavens open on us.  It was great having a swim while it was raining but hard to keep the rain from diluting our drinks!!  Even better was having a shower in the rain.  Unfortunately the rain was so hard that the water came into the villa but a phone call to reception saw the angels quickly come to mop it all up. 

 For dinner Edi took us to Chandi (where we tried to get in on Friday and Saturday but they were booked out).  We had a great meal, Margie had the crispy skin duck (no entree), Howard had the calamari followed by the sea food bakso and I had the black pepper crab dumplings followed by the seafood bakso.  All up with 7 Bintangs it was AUS$69.  This is a GREAT restaurant.  Walked back home for the next day’s outing.

Bali 2010 Day 1

8 April

 Howard picked up Margie from the airport and swung by my work to pick me up and to leave clothes for me to change into when we return.  We had previously arranged to have dinner with Ben and Michael at Vihn Vihn Vietnamese in Richmond.  Unbeknownst to Margie we also invited Adrian and David, old friends of hers, and when she saw them she was really surprised!  Had a great meal as usual.  We got home to pack in readiness for our early flight the next day.

 Day 1, 9 April 2010

 Woke up at sparrow’s fart in order to get ready to be picked up by a taxi at 6:30 am and arrived at the airport at around 7 am.  Our flight leaves at 9:30 so we had plenty of time to shop at duty free.  The ticketing agent was named Gabe and he was only able to get us two exit row seats.  I’m not sure why it was that hard for him as the flight was nearly empty and we were able to get a whole row of exit seats once we had boarded the plane.  We felt very privileged as Gabe put “Priority” tags on our hand luggage.  However as we looked around we noted that everyone had these so we weren’t so ‘special’ after all!!

 

As is always the case, of course, there were small children in very close proximity to my seat. Whenever I fly this is always the case and I have come to accept this as a fact of any travel that I take.  This time it’s with a loud American mother who seemed to think it was her children’s inalienable right to scream, kick and run around without the slightest bit of supervision from her.  And that naturally, everyone on the flight needed to hear her booming voice detail every word of her dull and boring conversations.  (I noted that her Australian mother-in-law actually moved 3 rows away in order to avoid being seen with her).  In light of all this we decide at 10:30 am that a G&T – the first of many – was in order, after all it was 5 pm somewhere in the world!

 We fly into Denpasar in a bit of rain, get our Visa on Arrival (US$25) and line up to go thru Customs.  See the sign that says Drug Smugglers Get the Death Penalty.  Nope, couldn’t miss that AT ALL.  Takes about an hour to get thru customs as there have been 5 planes that landed within the last hour, ours being the last.  As it is we are basically the last people to get thru. 

 Walking out of the airport you could just feel the humidity envelop you.  Our driver supplied by Alu Bali is waiting for us and we have a 25 min drive to our villa in Seminyak.  Howard and my last trip here was over 14 years ago, I don’t remember most of what I am seeing.  We do remember however, the beautiful tropical plants which are so lush and colourful.

 The traffic is absolute chaos and the motorbikes weave in and out of traffic, nobody seems to agree on road rules (are there any?), cars turn in front of you without even a warning.  Blinkers are unheard of!  Cars pass one another even if there is oncoming traffic.  THIS IS SHEER MADNESS!!   My brake foot keeps popping to the floor – as if I could have anything to do with stopping the car!!  Takes me about a week to get over this!!  We see up to 4 people on one scooter, babies just a few months old being held by their mother or father or some other sibling.   Most Balinese are Hindu who have a strong belief in reincarnation and kismet but really, this just seems to be tempting fate.  Margie later comments that they must be used to the traffic from an early age and therefore get to know the system early on.  (What system I think?)  I previously read about people hiring a car or a scooter here – I believe that we are all a bit mad but what level of madness would make you want to drive here???  I ask one of our drivers if there is a driving test that must be passed and he replies yes.  I am thinking that they probably just bribe the test supervisor!

 We get to Alu Bali and are greeted by Lea and Weira, our lovely reception people.  Lea takes us to the villa and explains how everything operates.  It is a beautiful place, open air living with a private pool off to the side.  We booked on a recommendation from a girl that Howard used to work with.   I am a bit hesitant because some of the reviews on tripadvisor have not been all that great but Howard and Margie quite like it.

  

The villa was outdoors with a ceiling and

 the gardens were beautiful!                                                                        

The landscaping is beautiful with Japanese Palms, gingers, gardenias, mother in law tongue and haliconias.  Just gorgeous ! The bathroom is outside which is initially quite cute.  But not, as Howard pointed out the next day, the best at night when you have to go and then get bitten my mozzies! 

 The villa (number 2) gets sun over the pool unlike some of the others.  After a while we realise that it is a bit tired and could do with some upgrading, especially given the price.  Lighting in the bedroom is non existent but I don’t have a problem with that as in my opinion bedrooms are only used for two things – sleeping and sex!  There is no hot water in the basin in the bathroom or in the kitchen and even in the shower the water temperature kept fluctuating.  Also no coffee or tea making facilities were provided.

 We needed to change some money over and the villa’s driver Edi takes us to their preferred money exchange (unfortunately I can’t remember the name of it).  Having read horror stories of people getting ripped off I am a bit guarded but this is just so easy.  Fill out the form with the amount you want to exchange, sign it, then they show you on the calculator how much you will get back.  The exchange we got was Rp 8,350.  They take the form away to a window where the cashier exchanges the Aussie dollars for rupiah and then they bring it back, count it out, let you count and voila, there you have it!  Howard is our financial controller so we put AUS$200 each into a kitty and he will pay for everything until we run out and need to replenish. 

 We decide to go to a store to get some nibblies and get some mixers.  I pick up a packet of Yakult and go to pay for it but Margie says to take it out of the kitty – I’m thinking well it is 7,000 Rp but then I put it into perspective and realise it’s like 84 cents.  We spend over Rp210,000.  When dealing with this currency it is hard not to get caught up with the thousands when in reality, you are dealing with cents!

On the way back to the villa we stop at Nirvana restaurant to have the first of many Margeuritas.  Cost is Rp55,000  for three – about $6 which also includes a smaller glass of margeurita as a sampler.  It contains the same thing as the bigger glass so not sure what that was about.

 

We get back to the villa and use the safe in our room.  This is great because it means that we don’t have to take our passports and money with us all the time.  Howard not too sure as the safe is not bolted down but I tell him not to be so silly, who is going to walk around with a hotel room safe in their hands?  A few days later he sees someone on a scooter balancing a hotel room safe on their head with one hand on it and the other on the steering!

 We decide that a drink is in order and I get them ready while the others get ready to have a swim.  The pool is beautiful, there is an in floor cleaning system and the water is so refreshing.  It is so humid here, they tell us that the wet season was about a month late this year so we are still in it although we don’t have too much rain during the trip.  While we are in the pool there is a knock on the door and the boys that we eventually name ‘our angels’ come in to light the mozzie coils and the candles and turn back the beds.

 

We are all feeling a bit hungry so get showered, have a few more drinks and then go out to find a restaurant.  Howard is leading the way, always thinking that a better restaurant will be just around the next corner.  He wants us to have our first meal in Bali at a really nice restaurant that has some ambience.  I am sure that we walked halfway to Kuta, Margie is starting to get blisters on her feet and I just want some food.  We finally stop at some shitty little warung that had a few people in it and order one of the worst meals I’ve ever had.  Nonetheless at least we are eating and drinking Bintangs! 

 We have nothing organised for tomorrow except for a 2 hour massage at 10 am followed by a poolside lunch as part of our stay.  Howard is telling us that he will probably have a massage for 10 minutes max.  No way will he have one for 2 hours.  NO WAY!!.

 We finally walk back to Alu Bali and have one last nightcap.  Having previously given reception our breakfast order we get another knock on the door and the angels come back to set the table for breakfast.  Feeling very tired we call it a night.

Europe 2009 Day 26 and 27 (Madrid)

Day 26, Saturday, 10 October 2009 – We get up and decide not to have breakfast at the hostal, and stop at Starbucks.  We notice a woman in the queue who has picked up a couple of sandwiches and she tells us to go ahead of her.  Unbeknownst to us, she is using us as a cover and she creeps out of the store stealing the food.  I notice this and tell Howard, he believes that he has to tell the staff that they should move the food area to further back in the store.  They know, they tell him, it goes on all the time and they have told their manager but there is not much more that they can do.

Anyway we collect our stuff and head off to Temple de Debod, an Egyptian temple that has been relocated piece by piece to Madrid as thanks for Spain’s assistance in helping to relocate another temple which was in danger of being lost to the Aswan Dam. 

I remarked to Howard that it would be like one of those IKEA furniture things, you might end up with one or two extra pieces!  Just as I say this we see a wall where the hieroglyph of a man just stops at his neck – wonder what happened to the rest of him???  

We walked thru the Sabatini Gardens which are quite beautiful, to the Palacio Real or Royal Palace.

Back of the palace in the Sabatini Gardens.

 We have to queue about one hour and we see this guy with three dogs, two are on leads as they are big and a long haired chihuaha that is not on a lead.  All three walk along and then every 5 or so metres they turn in a clockwise circle.  Really kind of bizarre!  The Palacio is closed tomorrow so today is the only day we can see it.  It really is magnificent and I buy book nine.  By this stage, we have seen so much that I think we are becoming just a bit jaded.  I ask Howard what he thinks of the palace and he tells me “it’s big”!  I especially love the Porcelain Room where the walls are lined with porcelain panels.  But it really was just magnificent, different to Buckingham Palace or Versailles.  I am continually amazed at the detail that went into these buildings.  The ceilings, the walls, the floors are just amazing.

Cathedral next to the Palace.

The Palace, it’s $$%#%@%#$ huge!!

Another beautiful day and we head off to Mercado San Miguel.  It is a market that has been operating for over 150 years.  We got some brushetta with different toppings, each €1:  smoked mussels, a crab mixture, salmon, smoked cod and tuna.   Washed down with a nice sav blanc and then followed by a fruit salad.

Could they park any closer???

While going home we pass by Botin, the oldest restaurant in Madrid.  We enquire about dinner for tomorrow as it is our last night and the maitre de tells us we can have a table at 11:45 pm.  In all reality how likely is that?? 

We head off to Hot Bar, a ‘bear’ bar and meet Jose the bartender.  I give him two koalas and he gets excited and hangs one up with all of the other teddy bears and one on the cash register.  Home for a siesta then it’s off for some Chinese which is really unremarkable but the restaurant is quite busy.  Perhaps it’s what we ordered.  Afterwards a few more drinks at a couple of bars and then off to sleep.

Day 27, Sunday, 11 October 2009 – We get up at 9:30, our latest yet on this trip.  We head off to the El Rastro market which sells just about everything – one vendor only sold rubber bands.  In all sizes and thicknesses! 

WTF with all the rubber bands???

Anyway the market is packed and it is very claustrophobic so we do our shopping and try to get out.  It is a massive market.  I could imagine people getting trampled because there are so many.

Decided we would go to the Mercado San Miguel again for lunch and we run into a couple of guys that are also staying at the hostel.  We have lunch and while we were supposed to go to the Prado today the boys tell us the line was huge so I ask Howard if he would like to a) go to another art gallery or b) have another bottle of wine.  Guess you can tell which option he chose??  We have a siesta and then one last dinner at El Armorio.  We have an early night as we have to get up at 4 am as the taxi is picking us up at 5 for our 7:05 flight to London.

Day 28, Monday, 12 October 2009 –  We get to the airport in record time ie like 5:15 when it was supposed to take about 45 minutes but there is no traffic. 

In the back of the taxi on the way to the airport at 5 am – NO one looks pretty at that time of the morning!!

So we go to McDonalds for breakfast – my credit card statement shows a debit for almost $22!!  We fly in to Heathrow at 8:25 and have a 4 hour layover.  We have to go thru security AGAIN, even though we haven’t left the terminal.  The man takes my water bottle that I have put in the tray as it goes thru the scanner but doesn’t take the two bottles that are in my man bag.  What the??  This time they confiscate my wine opener but at this point of the trip I have no need for it any longer!  We have a stopover in Singapore and then we’re off. 

We arrive in Melbourne and by the time we go thru customs and immigration it is about 9:30 pm.  Our bags get checked AGAIN.  We get a taxi and get home about 10:30.  The girls go CRAZY when they see us, and we go crazy as well!!  We really have missed them, Millie has put on weight so we will need to put her on a diet.  The back room of the house is huge to us after spending time in all the hotel rooms!!

I’ve taken over 1,200 pics and Howard has taken over 500.  I’ve taken a couple of hours of video as well!

We open our last bottle of French champagne and reminisce about this fantastic holiday that we have just had.  We can’t really even say which was the highlight, the history, everything we did, the places we saw, the buildings, the architecture, the restaurants we ate at, the different cultures, everything was just so unique.  This to me marks a GREAT holiday.  We had a lot of laughs, had some harrowing drives and met great people.  It really was our magical European trip and our expectations were far exceeded by the reality of it all!  We have definitely been hit by the travelling bug!

Our journey has now come to an end….we hope that you have enjoyed reading about it and are looking forward to preparing for our next one!

Europe 2009 Day 24 Talavera and Day 25 Madrid

Day 24, Thursday – 8 October 2009 – In the morning we get up and it is really foggy and just beautiful to see the fog and the old buildings.  Get some really nice black and white pics! 

We try to find a McDonald’s for breakfast but they don’t open until 12.  (Howard is getting tired of sweet pastries or ham and cheese for breakfast).  Getting out of the garage proved to be a disaster, couldn’t get the suspension up in time and so we drag the engine over the incline.  The dashboard says that the suspension raising system is defectivo and Howard is concerned that we have damaged the car.  Finally get out of there and Howard sees some liquid coming out underneath.  We stop and the leak has stopped.  Once I have turned the car off, the defectivo warning also goes off.   So we make our way to Talavera, about 70 kms away to look at the ceramics.  Uneventful drive and we get there starving but McDonald’s is not open until 12 and Burger King at 1. 

We visit some of the ceramic warehouses and make a few purchases.  This is a really pretty town.  I inadvertently go into a car park and have to pay 50 cents to get out! 

 

Talavera is the capital of ceramics in Spain, especially the blue and yellow tiles.

We head off to Madrid  and we have no idea where the Hostal La Zona is but I know that we want to find the hotel and check in before we take the car back.  We stop in the general vicinity and ask for directions and it so happens that Howard meets Maria, a delightful girl with a bicycle, who lives around the corner from our Hostal so gives us great directions.  She even gives Howard her business card and says if we need any other assistance to give her a call!  We gave her a koala bear and she thanked us and said that her baby daughter would love it!  I nearly run into a concrete truck, it was really close.  I think you could just about squeeze a piece of typing paper between the truck and our car!!  Get to Hostal La Zona, check in (we have the only double bed in the place which is called the “Wedding Room) and then take car back to the car rental place at the RENFE station.  Howard is directing me and we have a major argument because I think we are in wrong spot but lo and behold! the car rental company is right in front of us. 

 Howard has stressed so much with us having a car (or is it my driving?) that we decide we will no longer rent one when we are in the cities when next in Europe. 

 With no regrets we hand the car in and Howard is giggling with glee that we no longer have it.  I recall once again the words of the Madrid lawyer and was he ever right!  I purchase a 10 trip ticket for the met but the woman only gives a single journey ticket so lose out there.  The hostal is in the Chueca district which is also very gay.  The hostal is also close to Gran Via, Madrid’s busiest street but we are far enough away that we don’t hear the traffic.  It is also located a block from where the prostitutes (both female and trannies) ply their wares which we figure out pretty quickly.  The trannies – the roughest I have ever seen!

Madrid is a stunning city, very stylish.  These buildings are along Gran Via or close to it.

There are a lot of council workers in Madrid, our host Vicente tells us that the government has hired these people due to the GFC.  That night we have dinner at El Armario, Howard has roasted vegetables and I have clams in a green sauce and we both have the steak plus dessert. Great value at €6 each and we go to this place three out of four nights so the food was pretty good.  Afterwards we go out for a drag show (but it doesn’t make sense to us as it’s in Spanish) and a few drinks and hit the sack.  The bar next to the hotel has the tiniest Chihuahua I have ever seen called Coco who is not afraid of anyone unlike most Chihuahuas. 

 

We are glad to be in Madrid for we know that we will be going home soon and we will be able to see the girls.  Ben has kindly taken photos of the girls and sent them to my blackberry. 

 Day 25, Friday 9 October 2009 – After breakfast at the hostal we venture out to the Plaza Mayor where the tourist office is.  Madrid is a beautiful place, great layout and fantastic buildings.  Architecture is superb and loving the buzz and vibrancy.  However there are way more smokers than anywhere else we have been and it seems that there are more homeless people. 

 Sunrise in southern Spain, at this time of year anyway, is really weird, it is dark until 8 am and the city is fully dark by 8:30 pm.  Plumbing in Hostal really weird, it just turns on and off by itself. 

 Everywhere in Madrid there are people selling lotto tickets.  There are these little booths all over and they only sell these tickets so there must be a lot of interest in them.  There are even people standing on the sidewalks selling tickets, it was kind of bizarre.

 Anyway, we decide to go see El Retiro Park.  It was absolutely gorgeous and I am telling you, NO ONE does fountains better than the Europeans!  These gardens were originally the private gardens of the Spanish monarchs but later were opened up to the people.  There is a lake in the middle of the park with a massive structure dedicated to Alfonso XII. 

Lake and King Alfonso XII

It is so beautiful and peaceful, we buy a bottle of wine and sit on one of the benches and just soak it all up.  We were going to rent a boat but the café owner said that we wouldn’t be allowed to take our bottle on it.  Within the park there is the Crystal Palace, a beautiful structure made entirely of iron and glass.  Today it is used to house art exhibitions but its main function was as a hot house. 

 We also walk to the statue of the Fallen Angel which is, befittingly, located in the gay cruising area. 

Statue of the Fallen Angel.

We also visit the Rose Gardens which are just spectacular as the roses are in full bloom.  See a pair of young lovers basking in the afternoon sun, he had his shirt off so Howard had to take a photo of ‘the roses’.  While in the park I overhear an American girl say “My mission today is to find a Starbucks”.  Oh gawd!!  She’d travelled halfway across the world and that was her sole purpose for the day!

We have lunch at a café in the park and then visit Musee Thyssen Bornemisza.  Superb collection of artworks dating from medieval times to the 1900’s.  It is a private collection that was partly gifted and partly bought by the city.  We head back to Chueca for a siesta and then we have dinner at El Armario again, clams for both with a chicken breast in mushroom sauce and dessert.  Delicious!

We are a bit tired after all the walking so head home only to be woken up at 3 am by a lot of noise in the street.  By 4:30 neither of us can sleep due to the noise and Howard decides we need to go for a drink and it would appear that the spot in the street DIRECTLY BELOW our window is THE spot to be sitting and drinking and chatting to friends.  Unbeknownst to us there is a club across the street.  Anyway we find some street vendors who are selling beers from their eskies and we get a couple and go back to the room.  First time I have used the earplugs on this trip.  Would recommend that anyone staying here not get a room facing Calle Ververde.

Europe 2009 Day 22 Cordoba and Day 23 Toledo

Day 22, Tuesday, 6 October 2009 – In Cordoba it is very hard to get a coffee in the morning – even at 8 am!!  Asked Antonio if he could make us a coffee@ 7:45 and he said “No, the machine isn’t warmed up”.  So I went to a café we went to yesterday only to find it closed.  No problems I thought, Antonio’s machine will be warmed up but no, he hadn’t even turned it on!!  They do say that things are different in Spain! 

 Today we stumbled upon the brothel area which is not far from our hotel, about 2 blocks.  At 10:30 am we saw quite a few voluptuous women in doorways displaying their wares!  We are almost in shock at this.

 We went to the Palace of the Christian Kings and its gardens which are very colourful.  The Palace has some beautiful mosaics.  We also cross the old Roman Bridge which funnily enough has an alter on it and there are candles lit, just like in the churches.  However I notice that whereas the candles in the churches cost anywhere from €5-7, these candles were exactly the same but probably bought from a Target or something like that as they only cost €0.75!!  Trust the Catholics to make money from prayer!!   (By the way we both were born Catholic).

 

Bust in the Palace of the Christian Kings

Parapet from the Palace

Roman mosaics from a nearby site (in the Palace).

The beautiful gardens at the Palace….

From there we go to a store and get some jamon, quesa, bread, seafood, pistachios, beer and red wine and have a picnic in the Botanical Gardens – absolutely lovely.  Cordoba does not have refrigerated milk nor refrigerated white wine  (or at least we couldn’t find it).  It is hot today about 34 degrees.  Walking around we see many of the patios that Cordoba is famous for.  Beautiful spaces usually with tiled walls, fountains and plants.  Have noticed that we are both getting a tan.  We could not live here, in the old part of the city, it is too claustrophobic and very noisy with a lot of public works going on.  On driving out we notice that people are moving out of the city but only to apt blocks.  So what is the use of moving if you aren’t getting more land? 

The house next to the hotel is vacant and is for sale at a mere €3,000,000.  Antonio would like to buy it as it would make for another 30 rooms but it’s too expensive for him.  He asks if we can find an investor for him!

Every place that we stay seems to be in the old section of town which is where all the attractions are.  This is by sheer coincidence as I didn’t plan it that way.

Day 23, Wednesday, 7 October 2009 – Up at sparrow’s fart to get ready to drive to Toledo.  So early, in fact, that Antonio is not even up yet and the place is in complete darkness!  We eventually get out the front door and luck is with us as although the garage is locked and we have no key, someone else has to get their car out so opens up the garage.  I go back to shut the hotel door and luckily Antonio is now up because we would have forgotten to pay for our parking.  We go out the same way we came in, don’t care if it was a one way street or not.  Just as perilous going out as coming in!! 

Scary time trying to find the road to Toledo (we had thrown out the maps of Cordoba).  Eventually located the right road after a deviation or two and one way streets.  Freeway journey the whole way – 120 kph traffic and we can’t stop on the freeway as there is no shoulder. Although the sign says 120 it must mean plus or minus 50 as well.  Most cars were driving about 170 and if you are in the fast lane they will tailgate something ferocious – at one stage it felt like the car behind me was in the back seat, that’s how close it was.  I can’t find a McDonald’s for a coffee or breakfast and the choice of truck stops along the way was terrible. 

We finally stopped at a no star hostel for truckies that had reasonable coffee.  Later stopped for diesel at a servo – no self serve, the attendant didn’t speak English and Howard doesn’t speak Spanish so his attempts to communicate with him were a dismal failure.  I bought what I thought was a sandwich but it was incredibly bad and even Howard commented that it was horrible.  Getting back on to the freeway was another scare – initially it seemed like we were heading back to Cordoba as the freeway on/off ramp went for kilometers.  We finally found it though, only to realize that once on the freeway the police had set up roadblocks to search thru people’s cars – perhaps looking for drugs?  We were very lucky to pass straight through without having all of our luggage rummaged through! 

We arrive in Toledo which has streets that are even narrower than Cordoba which is going to prove to be a challenge in the Citroen!  Not only are these narrow but they are very hilly and I film a Japanese couple who are having a difficult time getting their Audi up one of the hills.  He keeps popping the clutch and traffic is starting to bank up after him.  Our hotel is up a hill so we leave the car at the base of it so that we can locate the hotel, Hotel Santa Isabella. 

 

These are narrow streets and a girl from work whose husband is Spanish told me even she isn’t game enough to drive in Toledo!!



Hotel Santa Isabele, a former convent.

They previously advised me that they didn’t have parking but it would appear that they now do and if we leave it in the street it will be subject to 2 hour parking fees.  So we decide to park in the garage and off we go to scope out the best way to get the car from where it is to the hotel.  Unfortunately the only way is the same way as the Japanese tourist.  Howard once again drives to the car park and I am beside him saying things like “you’re doing good, got a lot of space on this side at least 6 inches” etc:  We get there and Manuel the receptionist (whose English is composed of very little and I’m sure is inclined to not learn any more) guides us into the carpark.  He reminds Howard of Manuel from “Faulty Towers” – he shrugs a lot and chooses whether to speak English or not (depending on which is more advantageous for him).  Anyway, the garage has an extremely sharp incline and a very low roof so much so that we will need to use the suspension raising button on the car to get over the incline – did we even know that we had this function??  Manuel did and after conversing and much gesticulating we find the button to 1) raise the car to get it halfway into the garage past the incline and 2) drop the suspension so that we can get down the incline.  This takes us all of about 30 minutes and Howard is very nervous.  The locals are watching us, maybe it’s a neighbourhood thing to watch the tourists park their car!!  Later on we realize that there is another garage that the hotel owns across the street which is drive straight in – no incline at all.  Why we didn’t get to park there is beyond me.  Once we are parked we are told our room is not ready so we go to the town center to have lunch. 

Must say that while we don’t speak Spanish it hasn’t really been a problem while in Spain.  The people here have all been really friendly and (in the main) speak enough English to get by.

Afterwards we go to visit the Alcazar only to be told it’s being renovated and to come back next year!   Righto, I’ll make my booking at the next internet café!!  We get back to the hotel and get our stuff from the car, the guy who had parked next to us is from Richmond and works in Ashburton (where we live) – what a small world, hey?  The hotel room is nice and the view from the rooftop terrace is absolutely fantastic, over the rooftops of the surrounding area and of the cathedral.

Later on we went for dinner at Meson la Orza – great value for €53!!   We both had the local soup – ham, garlic and egg, followed by lamb (Raegan) and partridge (Howard) with marzipan and chocolate truffles for dessert.  Cowboy cocksuckers on the house plus 5 glasses of wine, all for €53 including mineral water and bruschetta!  I asked to buy a bottle of wine but am completely misunderstood or maybe I misunderstand. 

Beautiful marzipan dessert!

Toledo is supposedly the base of Catholicism in Spain but there is no Bible in our room!  The hotel is very nice and is a former convent from the 11^th century.  Evidently the nuns around here make marzipan and sell it from their front doors – capitalism and Catholicism – they seem to go hand in hand! 

We decide not to visit the inside of the Cathedral, not sure if it is the cost of doing so or just maybe we are tired of seeing churches.  I think we have gotten the latter.  Feel that we probably should have done Toledo as a day trip from Madrid.

Europe 2009 Day 21 Cordoba

Fountain in public square, Cordoba.

Hotel Plateros

Day 21, Monday, 5 October 2009 – Today we head off to the Mezquite which is free from 8:30 am to 10 am.  We get there about 9:30 and are blown away!!  My descriptions of the sites we see are getting smaller and smaller, can’t stand the thought of repeating myself!!  The arches are absolutely beautiful and the many different chapels in the church are actually used for services. There is a real church service being held in the center chapel.

 

 

Only about half of the arches have been cleaned.

 

Beautful!!

  

  Love my stained glass!

  

  

                                                               Ceilings!! I always look at them!

 

 Choir stalls!

By this stage Howard is starting to really question Catholicism.  How can a church have so much wealth and let so much poverty exist in the world??  And how can it have condoned war in order to conquer what it has?  Given his reaction to the murders at the Tower of London I don’t bother getting into what the Spanish Inquisition entailed.We have lunch at the local Burger King (easy and cheap)J!   Afterwards we explore the maze of laneways in the area and try to find the mosque.  Unfortunately we find it but today it is closed.

We go to the plaza again for a few drinks and then to the information center to find the other gay bars.  They were not very friendly but did give Howard instructions to one bar in the area.  Back to the hotel for a siesta (this is definitely becoming a routine)!  Spanish people love their dogs and there are lots of Staffies and Westminster Yorkies with names like Lupa, Pinto, Ulysses!  Weather has been beautiful on this trip.  We have a further 8 days but really are almost ready to go home now.  Missing the girls a lot and of course our own homes at Lexia St and Blairgowrie.  Even missing foods like greens and vegetables.  Still, it has been an incredible experience and loving it all the way. 

After the siesta we go down to the bar at the hotel and have a few glasses of wine and decide to have dinner here.  We had chicken, ox tail, with another tapa that was meat falling off the bone.  Afterwards we go back to the plaza for a walk and run into a couple with the most gorgeous dog.

Europe 2009 Day 19 Seville & Day 20 Cordoba

 

These horses are really popular in Seville but we didn’t go on one – not enough time!

Day 19, Saturday, 3 October – Today we are off to see the Palacia de Countess Lebrija.  This is her house as it was over a hundred years ago.  She was widowed at a young age and never remarried.  It was inherited by her nephew and then his nephew and then by his 4 children who have elected to run it as a private museum.  The Countess was very much interested in the archeological ruins that were nearby and she actually bought a lot of the artifacts such as mosaics and had them moved to her house.  We were very fortunate that the guide (who was German) allowed us to take photographs inside the house. 

        

Mosaic floor transported to the apt.

             

                 Loving the tiled walls!

      

Beautiful ceramics adorning the vestibule.

                     

                            How gorgeous is this?

          

 Her private chapel.

       

     The dining room, it had massive amounts of plates and tiles.

Dining Room.

     

     The Countness in Moorish dress

We then went to Parque Maria Louise and Place de Espana.  This was a nice area that is now government offices.  It was built for the 1929 Spanish – American Exhibition.  Across the river we went to Triana for a tapas lunch and then wandered the streets.  Saw a few ceramic shops but it’s siesta time so they are closed.  The bridge over to Triana has a lot of padlocks with names on them.  Evidently lovers put their names on them and throw the keys into the river to signify their everlasting love.  Back to the hotel for a siesta for us, it seems to be a very civilized way of doing things!  We are really getting into it! 

  

From the 1929 Exhibition.

Seville is very beautiful, it has a great vibe and we are much enamored of this city.  Today it is 29 degrees.  At night we go to a great tapas bar which is full of attractive young people, possibly university types and have a few wines and tapas.  Very tiny bar that has a window bar where we stand and have our wine and tapas.  Happy crowd, great service from friendly barmen.  Only in Granada is the tapa free but here in Seville it is very inexpensive.  Overall Europe is very expensive, even though the Aussie dollar has been appreciating against the euro. 

Day 20, Sunday, 4 October 2009 – We pick up our car from the car park at a cost of €58.  We head off today for Cordoba and stop along the way at Carmona, a beautiful Roman town just outside of Seville.  We visit the old fortress and see the city from above.  Another place with tiny streets and houses opening onto them.  Lots of churches as well.  We also visited the Necropolis, a burial site from Roman times.  At the site we are directed where to park by an elderly attendant.  He is in an odd, ill fitting uniform and he gives us a previously used ticket showing that parking on the street is going to cost of €0.50.  We pay but we both believe that this guy is an enterprising entrepeneur who has bought a uniform possibly from an op shop (dirty shoes Howard notices) and on his computer has printed out his parking tickets and that no parking fees actually apply!!  What tipped us off was that the parking price that was printed was €1 but he scratched that out and wrote €0.50!  

  

        Roman Necropolis!

                       

                         Tis only about 1,500 years old!!

We decide to continue on to Cordoba.  I have directions to the hotel in my hot hand and we drive into the city and think we have found where the hotel is.  We ask directions and yes, we are close so we park the car in a main street and walk to Hotel Plateros.  There is parking across the street but gees, the lanes are very narrow – I keep thinking about how lucky we thought we were to get an upgrade to a large Citroen!  Howard insists that he park the car so we venture into the narrow lane and have to fold the side mirrors in so as not to hit the buildings.  It was pretty harrowing but he did it!! 

We get the car parked and settle into the hotel.  It is very small, about 150 years old and is run by Antonio and his family.  There is a restaurant and bar but it all closes at siesta time which can be a bit of a pain.  Cordoba is very quiet but then again it is a Sunday.  We both felt it was a bit eerie because it was so quiet.  However we take a walk and find a square which is full of people so we stop to have a drink.  We also found Hollywood Plato which is a gay bar near the plaza and had a beer (it was pretty boring). 

We went back to the hotel and bought a bottle of wine which we took with us to drink down by the river.  Howard found the river to be very smelly.  Later we went out for a tapa dinner and had boar jowl, ox tail, prawns, squid, seafood salad and a few others.  Nice and full restaurant.  Afterwards we run into five German students who are studying Spanish here.  Their teachers were at the table next to us at the restaurant.  They have been drinking vodka and are quite talkative.  One thought Howard was in his 30’s!  They were fascinated to think that we are gay!  However, they were friendly, we enjoyed our talk and we wished each other well as we left.

Europe 2009 Day 18 Seville

Day 18, Friday, 2 October 2009 – We awake all refreshed and happy again so it’s going to be a great day!  Since Howard has thought all along that his birthday was going to be on a Friday we celebrate it today!  First off we go to the Real Alcazar and we are blown away by the gardens, the rooms, the tiles, everything.  Honestly it just gets better and better.  Successive kings have added to it and it is quite huge.  The Alcazar is the official residence of the King and Queen when they come to Seville.  Sorry, but my descriptions of places are getting smaller and smaller.  I buy my eighth book here.

             

Real Alcazar  

 

                       

      

                                                          

                                       

                                                                                                          Loving all the colours!   

    

 

                                           Plus loving all the fountains……

   

 

                                                                                                And the beautiful gardens!

             

   Beautiful peacocks.                                    External tiling.

 

A grotto under the palace used for swimming.  (Doesn’t everyone have one??)!!)      

After this we go to the Cathedral next door.  Entry is €8.  Again, this is just so over the top that words can’t describe it.  The jewels alone would be priceless!  It defies my imagination as to how these things were built.  There is a group of striking mine workers who are camped out in the church.  They have an area that is roped off and they have their computers and TV’s.  They have been camped here for 233 days.  Wonder if they had to pay €8 for their entrance??  They have some cooking equipment but don’t know where they have a shower.

    

 

Once again, this is massive!! Howard is 5’7″ and not very wide, look at these columns!!   How the %^&%^& did they build these columns?  The stained glass just beautiful!

 

Organ.  As you do!

 

Can’t get enough stained glass!  

  

                   Detail, detail!!

           Frickin’ Catholics       

                                   

                           I am  so sorry that the Catholic church is so poor!  The amount of gold in this Cathedral is just stupid!

                                                                     

                                                           Photo  taken from the top of the church bell tower.

We go to a restaurant in the Barrio and try to have the 5 tapas for €8.50.  The waitress tells us it finished at 2:30 (it’s 2:40).  So we order a paella as listed on one page of the menu only to be told that it’s no longer available and only paella on the other page is available.  We order and then about 10 minutes later a couple next to us get seated and order the 5 tapas for €8.50!!  I tell you, they make it up as they go!!  We told the waitress that we didn’t want bread (which you pay for regardless of whether you order it or not) and she was not impressed.  She brought out our cutlery in a bread basket, complete with crumbs! 

After lunch we go to Casa de Pilato.  We are overwhelmed by this!  Beautiful building and we get to tour the inside of the house (but can’t take pics).  We meet a nice couple from the UK and have a great conversation on travelling with them. 

                             

                                  

                             These four sculptures are in each of the corners of the main courtyard.

                                  

                           

   This picture is of the “Bearded Lady” she gave birth and then grew a mustache and beard shortly thereafter….WTF???

We go to a local square and have a coffee and some wine and from there we go to a supermarket and get some wine to share on the rooftop terrace.

On the rooftop terrace we meet a group of women from Cornwall in the UK who are holidaying together like they do every year.  This year there are 8 of them but normally there is 6.  Once again the weather is fantastic! 

After a siesta we head off to dinner at Az Zait for Howard’s “birthday”.  This has got to be one of the most beautiful restaurants I have ever seen!!  We arrive at 9:45 and are only the second table there.  The chef seats us, takes our order and then serves us.  Evidently he also cooks as well!  There are a couple of other staff but that’s it, I don’t know what they do, I guess just fill wine glasses and water glasses.  I have the grilled foie gras terrine which is divine and very rich.  Howard has the truffle risotto with mushrooms which is excellent.  For mains we both had the suckling pig which had the most crispy skin you can imagine.  Very rich food which meant no room for dessert.  We got charged €2 each for tap water!!  We leave around 11:30 and people are still only arriving!!  On going back to the hotel we run into the girls and stop to have a nightcap with them. 

         Az Zait     

            What a good looking couple this is!!                                  Loved the reds and gold

              

.

Europe 2009 Days 16 Granada & 17 Seville

Day 16, Wednesday , 30 September 2009 – Today is the Alhambra, I have booked our tickets online and our time to visit the Nasrid Palace is 1:30, the last session of the morning visit.  We get to there around 9:30 and although initially it is overcast the sun comes out in all its glory!  How blessed are we with the weather?? 

I am amazed at the number of people who DON”T rent the audioguides!  I mean, come on, you pay a couple of thousand dollars to get here and you can’t afford €3.5 to understand what you are looking at??  We visit Generalife first, the beautiful gardens of the caliphs.  (Sorry for all the beautifuls, magnificents, fabulous, stunning, etc in this summary I will try to look up other descriptive words!!)  They are magnificent and we are getting some great design ideas for our own front garden in Ashburton.  So colourful, loved the pebble mosaics of the footpaths in various designs.  The gardens are full of fountains and water is everywhere, channels have been built to bring the water to the gardens.

 

     

Gardens of Generalife

       

Look at the water in the staircase rails!

   

    

Once we finish the gardens we then go to the other structures within the complex that we can visit.  Firstly the church which is not big but in it is a carriage made of silver and this is taken out every year and used in the one of the parades that celebrates some saint.  Secondly, the Palace of Charles V which is different, it is a square building on the outside but circular within.  There is also a museum within the Palace that we go thru but by this stage we kind of have done the museum thing and anyway, we are really here to see the buildings and the gardens.  We go thru the Wine Gate which is the gate where all goods coming into the city were taxed.  Beyond this is a courtyard and lo and behold a bar!  We order a couple of beers before we realise that the bar has been built over the old well that serviced the palace.

  Palace of Charles V   

      

     Wine Gate.      You knew I’d take a pic didn’t you?                            

     Cathedral pic

It is finally our time to go into the Nasrid Palace and it is quite an amazing thing.  The carvings on the walls are Islamic poetry and although we don’t see all of the rooms we see enough to know that this place would have been very special in its day.  Washington Irving, the American novelist, stayed here in 1829 and wrote “Tales of the Alhambra” while here.  His writing helped to bring the Alhambra back into the public eye and in fact, many credit him with stopping its demise.  I get book seven here, “The Alhambra in Focus”. 

  

Nasrid Palace

 

The walls are carved with Islamic poetry.

Elaborate wood and gold ceiling

 

Stunning ceiling

We decide to have lunch at the restaurant next door and have a seat outside.  There are so many wild cats and right now there are about 8 kittens walking around.  They are very docile though and allow you to pick them up.  We both order salads today and although the meals in Spain seem to be predominantly meat with few vegetables, luckily this restaurant has a lot of salads.  Howard has the cod and orange salad with an orange dressing and I opt for the more safe one of prawn and avocado.  Both arrive and they are huge and so tasty.  Howard’s is definitely the pick though. 

  

                           Raegan’s                                                                 Howard’s

We wander back to the hotel and run into an American family, mother and two daughters.  We have noticed them before as they have a little dog with them and we also saw them in the Alhambra.  The dog’s name is Chanel.  We stop to ask how they are able to keep the dog in the hotel and evidently it is quite common for this to happen in Spain.  I mention that we saw them in the Alhambra and Doris, the mother, makes a big fuss saying no one was going to take her dog there, which makes me wonder about her.  Howard is talking to one of the daughters at the same time and she explains that the mother has Alzheimers and the dog is a service dog.  I give Doris a koala and she is really excited and so I have to take a picture of her and Howard and Chanel.  We remark to each other that the girls should be given a medal.

Later on we are having a few drinks on the front verandah and we meet Fiona and Denise, two lipstick lesbians from Sydney.  They did the Alhambra yesterday and are going to go back home to redesign their garden!  They are travelling around Spain as well and have been to Paris and are going back for 5 more days.  Unfortunately we don’t get their contact information as it would have been nice to keep in touch. 

We see Doris and her daughters again and I start to wave but Doris just looks at me.  I keep waving and she finally waves back asking “Is this a sign?”  She doesn’t remember meeting us.  As I say, with Alzheimers you are always making new friends! 

Later that night I am wanting to go to a bar in the Albayzin so that we can see the sun set over the Alhambra.  Unfortunately it starts to rain and it pours down.  (The only rain during the whole trip).  We decide we will go tapas dining again and go to a bar in the Albayzin which looks cute.  In it are some German tourists and the most sour bartender who was actually quite p*ssed off that she had to serve us.  Therefore we stayed for only one drink. 

To get to the bar you had to cross this old cobbled bridge across the Darro River and on coming back I slipped and almost fell and the umbrella that I was holding in my hand flew out and I watched it in slow motion as it is went head over heels into the river below.  Howard couldn’t stop laughing, the Germans also were in hysterics and I am p*ssed off as this special folding umbrella was brand new purchased in Melbourne for this trip!  Anyway, we went back to the first bar we went to last night and had a few drinks there and just went home.

Day 17, Thursday, 1 October 2009 – Howard’s birthday and we are going to drive to Seville.  We are picking up the car in the city and have booked to pick it up at 9 am.  We can’t find the place and we get there at 11 am only to be told that they have given our Peugot 307 to someone else.  Fortunately they are able to upgrade us to a Mercedes, great for Howards’ birthday! 

We manage to make our way out of the city, remembering that they drive on the right hand side of the road.  We are about 20 kms out of the city when I accidentally hit the windscreen wiper button, only to hear it screeeeeeeech as it goes across the glass.  Howard immediately picks up that there are no blades which is not really a problem to me as we can pick up a couple at the next petrol station.  However, with Howard’s Mercedes the windscreen wipers are not standard and they have to be fitted at a cost of around $500.  I pull over at the next exit and we try to call the car rental place but after 4 tries and obvious language difficulties we drive back to Granada. 

The girl there is most apologetic and states that because their rental cars are kept in a public car park overnight, someone has stolen the wipers.  She gives us another upgrade, this time to a Citroen which is quite big and very comfortable, we are lucky to get these upgrades.  We get back on the road with a few glitches of the gears – this is a manual and the gearbox is very tight.  I thought Howard’s remark “Hope you don’t burn out the gear box on our first day” was quite unnecessary.  Road to Seville is quite boring being freeway all the way.  Olive groves are everywhere.

We stop in Seville to get directions and Howard navigates us near to the hotel which is fantastic since we don’t have a map of Seville.  The Murillo Hotel is in the Barrio Santa Cruz which is very charming and once again right in the heart of the area we intend to explore.  In this area the lanes are very small and you cannot fit a car in.  However, there is no parking at the hotel so we have to park at a local public car park.  We have a few “minor” issues about initially parking to find the hotel as well as a cold bottle of wine but won’t go into those here.  Needless to say this is our first big argument on this trip. 

                                   Murillo Hotel                 

                                         

 The hotel building is hundreds of years old, at one stage it was an apartment block with maybe two apartments per floor.  Our room is small but pleasant.  We have an inner room and our window overlooks a patio which has a fountain in it.  It was nice to have a siesta and hear the water.  There is also a terrace on the rooftop which overlooks the Cathedral.  At the Murillo we have a continental breakfast but it is quite good, lots of fruits, juices, breads, croissants, hams and cheeses.  Nice coffee as well.

                     

We have dinner at a tapas bar close to the hotel and meet a really nice Dutch couple who speak great English.  I decide not to take Howard to the restaurant that I had planned because he is still in a sh*tty mood.  I have heard about a big drag show held at midnight on Thursday nights and so we go after dinner.  It is midnight and the bar hasn’t opened up yet.  So why did I think it would be??  Off to the hotel we go.

Europe 2009 Days 14 & 15 Barcelona and Granada

 Day 14, Monday, 28 September 2009 – Our last day in Barca before we fly to Granada.  A bit of a stuff up on my part here, we should have flown out of Barca early in the day.  (I can see people shaking their heads wondering how I could have stuffed up, I know.)  (!)  Instead I tried to make the most out of our last day here but in reality we are just killing time having checked out of the hotel and even though we left our luggage there, we are at odds over what to do.   We decide to take a walk around the area which we haven’t done and so walk around and visit the botanical gardens at the Parc Montjuic before deciding that it’s probably a good time for lunch.  At around 12:30 we see a nice café after visiting quite a few and sit down at a table with our menus that Howard had picked up. The waiter comes over, I try to order only to be told that NO, menu del dia is only available from 1 – at which the waiter snatches the menus from us and stalks off!  Arrogant prig is what I think.    

 We decide that we will just pickup our luggage and take the metro to the bus station which we need to take to get to Girona airport.  We have lunch at a café outside the bus station which wiles away a bit of time and then head off to buy our bus tickets.   

 We are off!  We are flying with Ryanair and they have a strict luggage allowance of only 15 kg per person.  I have been extremely nervous about this because the excess is €14 per KILO.   We get there and of course, Howard has some how or the other increased his luggage to 17 kgs so it’s a bit of a panic as he takes out clothes and starts to wear them and we switch a few things to my bag which is only weighing 12 kg.  Whew!   

 Now all safe and we finalise the check in (show our passports) and the girl tells us that because we are non EU citizens we must have our tickets stamped at another counter.  So, we go there where we show our passports and get our tickets stamped.  We go thru security and have to get out our passports.  Again.  We then line up to board and guess what?  We have to show our passports!   All this bureaucracy must keep the employment numbers up!    

 All this still did not stop some extra people getting on the plane.  There were quite a few calls (once we were seated) for a couple of passengers to put up their hands due to the fact that they were on the wrong plane.  Evidently the number of people who boarded was greater than the number who should have.  As a consequence one stewardess counted the number of passengers six times, three others counted once each as did one of the engineers.  They never did find the phantom passengers and we finally flew out a half hour late.  Flight uneventful except to say that if there is a baby on board it will always be seated within two seats of me.  On landing we bounce on the tarmac about 7 times and the plane erupted in applause when it finally stopped!    

 Got bus to city center and another to hotel.  Each hotel is getting progressively better and Hotel Alixares is next to the Alhambra, at the highest point of the city.  Going into town will all be downhill but coming up we may just need to take a bus.  Howard takes a kip while I sit on the front verandah and have some wine and some tapas.  We are looking forward to our last two weeks on our holiday, seems weird to think that it’s only been 13 nights so far with another 13 to go!!  We have seen and done so much so far.  Apart from Madrid the remaining time will be spent in the smaller cities of Spain.   

 Day 15, Tuesday, 29 September 2009 – Our first day in Granada and beautiful weather once again.  We have big buffet breakfast at the hotel with eggs, bacon, sausages, hash browns, etc and start off walking downtown.    

 Our first port of call today is the Capillo Real or Royal Chapel.  On our way I watch some gypsies go up to people and put some lavender in their hand while stroking their hand (and I think) telling their future.  Then they ask for some money – I could see that coming so I make sure that we avoid these women.  The Royal Chapel is where Ferdinand of Castile (southern Spain) and Isabella of Aragon (northern Spain), the Christian monarchs who united Spain, are buried.  They conquered Granada from the Moors in 1492 after some 700 years of Moorish rule.  We have not stopped being in awe of the architecture so far on our trip, it is just so beautiful and so ancient.  Amazing sense of history everywhere we go.  We actually see their coffins and those of a couple of their children.  The ceiling, like all other cathedrals and chapels soars up very high.  Amazing to think how they actually built these places without the conveniences of modern day equipment!  The columns in the chapel are carved out of marble and literally are in what looks like one piece.  Looking up I can’t see a join for at least 3 metres, they are about 1.5 metres in diameter so you can just imagine the weight.  Beautiful artworks from their personal collection in the museum attached and we also see some of Ferdinand’s clothing and his sword and Isabel’s sceptre.    

   

 Capillo Real

   Can you believe the detail ??   

      

 Loving the mosaic paths!   

  Next door is the Cathedral which is STUNNING!  I know I keep saying this but these buildings are!  Each one is so unique that we can’t say which is our favourite.  We wander thru this for an hour or so and then head off to the Albayzin, the Muslim quarter which is full of little lanes (however they still take cars –  but just) and look at the little house and patios.  Space was at a premium at one stage so some houses have been built into the caves which was fascinating to see.    

Granada Cathedral Look at the ceiling!

Beautiful stained glass

Look at the size of those columns! Just gorgeous

 Scenes from around Granada: 

I love ceramic plates!!

Ceiling of an old Turkish Bath

Not sure what this means!!

Houses built into the hills

 After lunch we head off to the Monasterio de La Cartuja.  We get there at 3:30 and oops! forget about siesta time and it doesn’t open until 4.  This siesta thing can be a bit frustrating at times.  Unfortunately no photos are allowed in the church but it is noted for its coloured marble sanctuary behind the main altar and the sacristy which is made from brown and cream coloured marble and resembles a wedding cake.  It is in this that there are glass vials which contain bones of saints, either whole or crushed into a powder.  Kind of ghoulish I think.   I did sneak a few pics though before the security guard came into the room! 

Monastery

Sneaked (snooked??) picture in the Monastery

 Walk back to town and are allowed to wander thru Hospital Real, a hospital built by the monarchs for the people.  It is now part of Granada University.   

Hospital Real - don't you love the size of those doors?

I just love this!

  Tonight we decide to go to a few tapas bars and we start at one which is in the Albayzin.  Our first tapa is an egg, ham and cheese quiche on bread with a bowl of olives.  Next up is pork ribs with chips and bread.  These are quite big serves, total cost for 2 beers and 2 wines is €7 which is great value!    

 We wander and find a small wine bar called Casa Fuersanta owned by a mother and daughter.  Very cute, it only seats 8 people and has a collection of keys and locks on the walls.  The flamenco music is played on 12 inch vinyl!  I gave the owner a koala bar which she loved and put it up on the wall.  Howard got a coaster for his beer, I got a doily for my wine!  Tapa here was bruschetta with pork and semi dried tomato. 

Can you see the koala bear left upper on a bottle??

That night we try to go to a gay bar but they don’t open until after 1 am.  Unfortunately we don’t “do” 1 am anymore!   Forgot to mention that in every city we have been to, purple is the hot colour for winter this year for both men and women.