21st to the 26th May
We apologise for what follows as it is several days and thus a very long blog.
However for those with a squeamish disposition here is the short version. We got out of the village without mishap, went to Granada and the Alhambra. Then up to Cordoba to see the Mezquita, had a problem with a key, nipped to Malaga and ended up near Gibraltar. But you could read it in full. J&B x
Now having slept reasonably well, the small one awakes Thursday morning and immediately says, are we going to get out all right? Of course we are I answer and then as we left the lady stops us and says, you can go to the right which is very difficult and narrow and bendy, but the villagers want you to go up the hill (1 in 3!) behind and along the back of the village! Right we say. Now I must say that a German chap took a big van up to the right and we saw him a few days later so he managed it, but I was told in no uncertain terms NO! Joan and I agreed that through the narrow streets of the village was the way to go so we did! So Poo! This worked out extremely well and we were through in no time at all safely and I could feel her relax immediately. Very soon we were back on the main road to Granada and for the first time had no trouble finding the campsite, we arrived and were set up by 1pm.
Although it was a wee bit expensive it was a delightful little site and as soon as we were set up we enquired about buses and tickets for the Alhambra visit. The bus stop is right outside and there is a standard fare. We were told that the earliest they could fit us in was Saturday at 2pm with the Royal Palace at 7pm, so we would need to stay an extra day. There was apparently a chance that if we went at 8.30am Friday we may be able to book a ticket as they retain some for sale that day but most tickets are booked on the web by hotels, travel agents and campsites. As it was still early we thought we ought to nip into Granada and check it out, thank God we did. It took us ages to locate the tourist info and find out where to get the bus for the Alhambra, plus they convinced us to let our site book for us. After spending a pleasant few hours in Granada and enjoying a beer, we returned to the site and began a typical Joan & Bryan saga.
We were supposed to get wi-fi in the van and had paid for it but it did not work, so they gave us our money back. When we arrived back from Granada Joan went straight in and tried to book the Alhambra but they were fixing the internet. So began a saga of her popping over every half an hour until finally at 9.45pm she got our booking sorted. Phew, they close at ten! I of course as any red-blooded male would do, had slept through the entire process. So Friday we decided to just chill and pop over the road to the supermarket for a look around. BUT! It turned out to be a small shopping mall, Yippee! she said, but actually I got a couple of things and she got nowt. A first I assure you, but Joan having tried lots on was happy and we returned to the important business of chilling out plus helping the sales of San Miguel.
Saturday morning arrived and not only was it a bit chilly but it kept threatening to rain with several heavy rain drops then as soon as Joan got her brolly out it stopped. I tried to point out that it was perfect weather to go sightseeing but ‘we’ were definitely NOT amused. I should explain that our tickets for the Alhambra allowed us to go into the main area at 2pm but the palace is strictly controlled and they only allow a set number in every half hour. Our tickets were for 7pm which seems odd but we only just managed to see everything and returned in time to join the queue with 15 minutes to spare.
Rather than waste the morning we decided to go into Granada early and be poised for the bus to the Alhambra at 2 o’clock. Our intention was to wander around the old town but after a visit to the cathedral we were pleasantly surprised by a huge carnival procession. We had earlier noticed some women in extremely figure hugging dresses with lots of frills and boys and girls also in traditional costumes. Suddenly everybody started lining the street so we joined them. First came the horsemen/women followed by lots of the ladies in costume dresses, then to the small ones looking an absolute delight then a couple of huge bulls pulling a large cart with more ladies in it. Next came about 30 brightly decorated floats, all apparently to celebrate the ascension. We suddenly realised it was time for our bus and as far as we could tell it had to go right through the centre of the procession? However it arrived on time and we made it to collect our tickets on time.
It would be difficult to explain how wonderful everything we saw was without boring everybody stupid. The Alhambra is one of those places that you just have to see for yourself. One thing we will be taking up with Andy and Carole is how bloomin fit you need to be to do the full tour as some of the steps are pretty high! As we staggered out absolutely cream crackered around 8pm we both agreed it had been well worth the trip. On that note we were pleasantly surprised at how cheap it actually was and how well organised, I’ve been told to say the loos were spotless as well. After a lovely meal in town we headed home for a final brandy.
Sunday 24th May. We are still not sure about going to Gibraltar as we leave Granada but after a few miles decided that we could not possibly come all this way without seeing Cordoba and visiting the Mezquita. This involves a quick bit of map reading and a consultation with the sat-nav lady plus of course the ACSI book for a campsite. I merely keep driving and await further instruction. It turned out that we could not find a campsite in and around Cordoba but there was one about 15 miles to the north. As we entered the city we were amazed at all the beautiful fountains and waterfalls but it was also wall to wall traffic and impossible to park so we left and headed north. The campsite was good and as always the young lady seemed only too glad to help us with bus times and the best place to catch it. The thing was that the bus left at 8 or 9.30am then 2.30pm the return was 3.30, 6 or 8pm. At 7am when the alarm went off the sleepy little person complained bitterly but we had tried the walk to the bus last night and it was a fair distance. When we finally arrived at 9.05am, 25 minutes early along with several Dutch couples it appeared that all the husbands had committed the same sin!
On arrival in Cordoba we made straight for the old city and the Mezquita which is an incredible building and did not disappoint us at all. Lunch was genuine Tapas, something I have certainly never had before and it was excellent. That night getting ready for our trip the next day, I managed again to mess things up. It all happened because our on board water was not working properly and I wanted to empty it all and refill. Having located a suitable tap, not an easy task as it turned out as it was located behind some holiday flats, I asked permission and was told it’s not drinking water, just for washing etc which was fine. We moved the van, drained it and refilled it, everything worked fine, hurray. Then this geezer appears and starts having a go in foreign, then brings the girl from reception over both yammering on. I thought I had done something wrong and got her into trouble so I hastily packed my hose away and shut it into the locker with the gas bottles. As I shut the door I realised the water stopper with the KEY in it was resting on the gas bottles, something I’m paranoid about not doing! Oh Joy! We had realised some time ago that the spare is safely in a draw at home. So Joan got the massive hump with me and I started trying to dismantle the van, this worked and all’s well etc, but it was touch and go. I had visions of asking Jacqueline to send the one from home by DHL! Later she said it was Pam’s fault as she had spoken to her 20 minutes earlier on the phone and Pam asked whether there had been any more mishaps with the van and Joan said confidently, no, none.
We then continued with our original plan to go to Gibraltar but decided it would be nice to have a few days near Malaga first. We headed back down through Cordoba for the only ACSI site on the south coast near Malaga which had a good write up in the book. We made reasonable time but when we finally found it, it was not very appealing and was actually 15 miles east of Malaga so we headed for La Linea, the border crossing for Gibralta.
Lots of love,
Bryan & Joan xxx
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