Thursday Evan and I hopped a bus to Granada for a day of exploring. Tickets for the Alhambra were sold out but I would not have changed our day at all. It was one of my favorites in Spain thus far. A gorgeous day of blue skies, not a hint of clouds, and a hot sun – we got into the town center about noon and started the hike up towards the Alhambra. Forested pathways of luscious green provided shade on the 45 degree incline it took 25 minutes to hike up. When we got to the top we found a rooftop terrace restaurant and had a leisurely lunch from a beautiful vantage point. I had spaghetti and Evan ordered fish. I forgot to warn him that fish here comes in true fish form – complete head to tail it was literally a trout that was fried whole.
After lunch we headed back down towards the old part of Granada to my favorite neighborhood called Albacin. Built on a hill for protection the whitewashed Carmens (multiple level houses known for their beautiful gardens and terraces) are strewn about on narrow winding roads that abruptly end of turn into a set up steps that disappear around a corner. You could spend all day in this neighborhood and wander aimlessly just soaking up the beauty. And that is almost what we did, but instead…
We rented a moped!
Our last 2 hours in Granada we came across a rent-a-moped store and popped in. Evan has owned a motorcycle and I of course just wanted to chill on the back and enjoy the views so we rented a nice blue moped and cruised around Granada. We got to explore far and wide on our moped and it was the most fun I have had in a long time. Evan had the hard part, I just sat back and waved to people as we sped along the windy one way roads and turned down unmarked streets. 2 helmets, a camera, and a map to get back at the end of the day were all we needed.
Near the end of our moped adventure we knew we needed to fill it back up with gas before returning it. Just as we sat at the top of the great hill that is the Albacin neighborhood our moped died. We thought it had run out of gas. Luckily we were wrong but regardless it gave us the little jolt we needed to come out of our fantasy moped world and ask someone for direction s to the nearest gas station. All I can say is the Spanish people are such a friendly population. We asked 2 guys where the nearest gas was and I was happy to find that I could understand everything they said and respond well. Everyone we encountered was so nice and helpful and talkative. I am thoroughly enjoying my time here and the moped experience was one I will never forget. So much fun!
We got back to Sevilla at midnight and headed straight for the Triana Brigde. I was not going to let Evan leave Spain without trying chocolate con churros. This is Spain’s version of what we consider fair food. Churros are long airy fried strips of dough that you dunk into what is considered hot chocolate but really is more like a thick chocolate sauce. Hot out of the fryer, I prefer to roll my churros around in sugar before crunching away on the unhealthiest snack of all time. So tasty! What a perfect end to an unforgettable day.
Best. Day. Ever.
We found a gorgeous lookout point. Notice the snow capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada in the background
A gorgeous little plaza where we took a little break when we we walking around in Albacin
The restaurant we had lunch at - if you could spin 180 degrees you would be staring right at the Alhambra
Old bridges across the river (more like a stream...) in Granada. It reminded me of the good old Jordan River in Bloomington!
The entrance to a Carmen. And to think that people actually live here!
This is for you Aunt Marty - we found some real caves that people live in. These has painted doors and laundry hanging outside.
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