Sun is shining, but cloudy sky.
Off to The Prada to see Picasso and Velasquez . Later Botanic gardens which are on the opposite side of the street we are on.
we are on 6th floor with a lovely roof patio, but not allowed access😠
This is taken from the bars in our window
I don’t know what happened to Monday’s blog? It was showing twice, so I deleted one, but it looks like both have gone.
We drove from the mountain area of Alcaucin to Seville on Monday. The lost post was about the drive and the clear views of the valley. I will try to redo it later.
The wifi at this hotel is not strong and it cuts off in the middle of uploading pics.
We spent today looking at famous Gardens in Palace of Spanish Kings. Another Moorish building converted into a Christian palace. The Spanish added in the Muslim style. Beautiful tile decoration.
Rained all day!
The Cathedral next to it is the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world.
We return to Córdoba tomorrow and take train to Madrid. More later
We drove here along the coast road before heading into mountain area. The sight of the sea is so tempting for me. I always want to go and wade or swim. The place we stopped at was a pebble beach with steep slope at water’s edge. So I did neither. Michael lost his hat. If it had been a Tilly, I might have swam to get it, but it was a $2.00 one from a dollar store so we watched it drift away in the current. The road we were on is the road to Motrin and Malaga, but we turned off up the valley into this mountain area in a National Nature Reserve.
The place we are renting is government owned complex of 5 units. They call it a bungalow, but it is a two level apartment built into the slope of the hill. The entrance level has a large fireplace and dining room table with patio doors to a small verandah overlooking the trees. From this room there are stairs to the upper level with a kitchen area with a washing machine, a large dining table and a smaller round table. It has two bedrooms each with two beds. There is also a patio door to another verandah. It also has Wifi and a TV, but no English language channels. I can watch Netflix on my computer. But am happy to read from my Kindle.
Photos in separate page when I get them sorted.
Thursday April 14 2016
Granada
The drive from Cordoba to Granada took 3
1/2 hours with two stops. The first at Espejo was disappointing as no place to park. European towns and cities are not built for cars and there are too many! I know we have added to the number. Backpacking is the best way to see Europe! At the Palace of the Kings and Cordoba mosque there were large bus tours going around with one guide. When the group approached, I felt like I was in the path of a stampede of buffalos!
I have never seen so many olive trees! It would be interesting to see this area in harvest time. I cant imagine how they do it. I know they put nets down and bang the trees for the olives to fall, but dont know if they employ foreign labour.
The second stop at Alcourdette was unplanned, but the large castle on the hill could not be passed!
I am having problems uploading photographs and do not have a program to reduce image size or time to read how to manage photos with my Apple devices. I am going to try adding photo pages to blog instead of inserting in text. They never go where I want them!
Back to car travel in Europe. Mike is a marvel navigating the narrow streets and one way system. Granada is a very complex mass of small narrow streets. With great difficulty he got us within walking distance of this apartment but no access for the car. The owner of apt. Took him to an underground parking place where the car will stay until we leave.
This apartment, got through AirB&B is fantastic! There is the usual courtyard door and attractive sitting area with fountains. Not the usual flower pots around the walls. We are on the second level with bedroom, bathroom, living and kitchen area. Shuttered windows open onto courtyard and the street side looks onto a building under renovation.
The big attraction here is the famous Alhambra. A large Islamic building dating from the 10th century. There are formal gardens on the roof. This place is so popular that one needs to book tickets before coming and they issue specific times. Our tickets are for 2.00 to 6.00 pm. I suggest readers look it up on Google for photos. I will no doubt have many and will try adding a page of photos to this.
It is still raining cats and dogs. Mike has gone to pick up rental car. He wanted to walk to railway station where car rental places are located. I opted to stay here and enjoy the excellent wifi in this room. Don’t know how good it will be in next place.
I have yet to post about our visit to the Castle of the Kings and Archeological Museum. The castle was a wonderful surprise for its gardens that we did not know about. My pictures will show the splendid views and full of colour. It seemed all the flowers had fragrance so all senses stimulated. The smell, sight and silence matched the beauty .and serenity of the formal gardens with lake and fountains….until a group of teenage boys arrived disturbing the peace. Who brings boys to gardens??
But…..joy unbounded….the sun came out and we saw the gardens in sunshine for a short while.
Walking the ramparts in pouring rain was not fun. I was so scared of slipping on the wet marble pavement slabs, it spoilt my pleasure of the views. I have to admit to saying more than a few swear words about the “%#@@#!? rain!
THE ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM
The museum in on the site of a Roman amphitheatre. Some of the foundations are still visible. Most of the museum is devoted to the Roman period of Cordoba when it was known as Beatea ? (Check spelling)
Pictures to follow. I have to pack everything up now and when that is done might have more time to upload photos.
Canada to Spain 2016 
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