We started Thursday heading to the Seville train station to pick up our rental car. Rental car agencies are the same in every language. It took about an hour to resolve that we had a car, didn’t want an upgrade and we had already paid for it. Didn’t help that I don’t speak Spanish! The result was great however, as we are driving a beige Mini Coop. It’s like riding a go-cart.
It took us another hour to navigate (term used loosely) through Seville to the freeway heading east to Granada. We had a very colorful map with great artistry. Unfortunately, the artist just didn’t have the energy to label the streets. Wendy made the comment that if it were a goat path, it became a street. At last, onto Granada via A-92 east. We passed the town of Osuna, ancestral home of my friend Nina’s mother. Miles and miles of olive orchards mark the rolling countryside. As we approached Antequera, the hills became foothills to the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
We took a side trip into Antequera, a town of about 30,000 people nestled at the base of a dramatic range. I tried to drive into the heart of the city but the cobblestone streets became progressively narrow (still 2-way) and hilly. I’m not bad with a clutch, but this was bordering on insurance claim territory. We stopped somewhere in town (fairly lost by now) and started meandering on foot. We found a café and ordered sandwiches. I’ve written that the Spanish absolutely nailed the tapas thing. Sandwiches should probably be left to the French, or ‘Mericans. Toasted white bread and meat. Any questions?
After our sumptuous feast, we squeezed back in to the Mini and headed out of town into the mountains. The edge of town was rather abrupt and we climbed a narrow, winding road. The tops of the mountains were obscured in heavy clouds. We drove about 15 km before reaching the shrouded summit. The last few km were completely foggy but the views just below were spectacular!
We made our way back to the freeway and continued east toward Granada. We picked up Molly at the airport and all squeezed into the Mini. We figured out an order to stowing people and luggage. It was a little like Tetris. The airport in Granada is on the SW side of town and our destination was on the NE side. We are staying 2 nights at the Alhambra Palace Hotel, next to the historic Alhambra. We tour that on Friday. Getting up the hill to the hotel was not obvious. Thank God Molly speaks Spanish (and quite well) because we needed directions (twice) to find the place. The journey is definitely worth the reward.
We spent last night wandering around Albaicin (The Basin or trendy old city), having pizza, ice cream, etc. Granada is at the base of the high Sierra Nevada Mountains. The snow capped peaks lay about 25 miles away. Molly had visited a large ski area nearby (Monachil) a month ago when she first spent time here during her study abroad orientation week.
Off to explore the Alhambra and Granada!
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