Jul 102009
 

We had a very long sleep last night as we haven´t yet gotten used to the lifestyle of staying out late and without taking a siesta like the locals, we´ve been exhausted!

So, we got up leisurely and then headed out to find Hertz to pick up our rental car to make our drive from Madrid to Granada. It was a bit of an adventure to walk and figure out how to get to Hertz. Of course, being the only Spanish-speaker in the group has meant that I have to figure out everything and navigate places. We managed to find the Hertz and after a long convoluted route to our car, we were ready to go.

Surprisingly, navigating out of the city of Madrid wasn´t too difficult, though I discovered differences in reactions of people in stressful situations. Good thing I am a calm person. ;D It was just a 5.5 hour drive from Madrid to Granada. We didn´t make any stops along the way, though I did take pictures of the countryside as we drove through. The random bull signs along the highway and the miles and miles of olive and perhaps tobacco plants created the scenery along the way. It was nice to see the non-touristy parts of the country, though.

We arrived in Granada around 3pm this afternoon and though driving around the small city was a bit stressful, we found our hotel – Hotel Dauro – relatively easily. After parking and settling in to our room, we headed out to explore the city. Other than a moment of near shutdown due to food deprivation, we enjoyed seeing the city and doing some shopping. We had a great dinner at La Castellana, where I relaxed with a couple of sangrias in my tummy.

My iPhone is charging now, so I hope to have some photos to post tomorrow as we explore Alhambra.

Until then,

T

Jul 102009
 

After a good sleep, or at least for me, we set out for the Palacio Real (Royal Palace). Of course, first thing is first in the mornings – coffee! We actually found a chocolatier which sells churros and chocolate for breakfast. We opted for coffee and churros, but quickly realized why it comes with chocolate. Still, it was a nice way to start the morning.

We took the short walk to the Palace giving us a chance to enjoy the city some more. The palace was quite amazing. My mom was convinced she could handle the kind of lifestyle of royalty! After exploring the Palace, I soaked up the sun while my aunt went into the Catedral Real (Royal Cathedral) as I was in need of just some rest.

From there, it was time for another “sit” or coffee. So, we headed back towards the Prado Museum as that was our hoped next destination, but after stopping for coffee we realized that none of us were really interested in the museum enough. Thus, we decided to take a Madrid Vision bus tour of the city allowing us to get a view of the historic and modern parts of the city. While the museum would probably have been a good visit, I was happy to have a tour of the city while sitting!!!

When we finished, we had another “sit” and then went to get ready for dinner. We wanted to enjoy some paella for dinner, but found the recommended restaurant too crowded and after walking around just opted for any spot. We did manage to eat some tasty paella, which I forgot to take a picture of, but hopefully there´ll be another chance to enjoy it.

Since it was nearly midnight by the time our day ended, we got back to the hotel and packed up to be ready for our departure in the morning.

Sadly my iPhone battery died, so I can´t post photos just yet.

More to come…

-T

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