Not quite as early a start as Morocco, but another long trip nonetheless!!
After a ride along the Mediterranean we headed inland toward the Sierra Nevada mountain chain. It is really amazing how quickly the scenery changes from the coastal strip to the (in some places very high) mountain areas to the north of the Costa Del Sol. As we headed toward Granada, which is located at the bottom of the mountains (but still very high above the coast) we caught glimpses of the mountains. Even though we had come from about 26 degrees on the coast, we could see that the peaks of a number of the mountains still had snow on them!
After 3 to 4 hours of travel, we reached our destination. First on our agenda was a trip to the Alhambra (a famous Moorish palace), however this had to be preceded by a really long walk from the bus station into town (accompanied by some street side stall shopping on the way).
Once we figured out where we were going we made our way up to the palace (which, like in Malaga, had to be at the top of a steep hill!). When we got to the top we entered what we thought was the entrance (we would later find out the hard way that this was probably the rear entrance!)and began to explore the many buildings. The complex was really impressive with a fortress, baths, palace, a village and huge gardens. However we were really here to see the Alhambra that everyone had been talking about and we were expecting some very ornate building amongst the complex to be it.
After a lot of fruitless searching and attempting to follow the (badly placed) signs, we decided to ask where we would find the Alhambra. After more fruitlessness (the guards' English was bad and our Spanish was worse!) we eventually stumbled upon someone who was able to tell us that the whole complex was the Alhambra (not just one building). We also found out that we had to buy tickets to get in and that these were located at the main entrance which was on the opposite side of the complex.
With our facts finally straight we headed to the main gates and lined up to purchase tickets. However, when we were within three people of the ticket window, the guards announced that all tickets for visits to the Alhambra that day had been sold!! Needless to say..... we were slightly disappointed. Then we realised we had managed to see the rest of the complex for free....... so it wasn't all bad.
We then spent the rest of the day on the tourist trail...... souvenirs, photos, videoing, drinking and eating tapas.
Eventually it was time to head back and this proved to be the most exciting (hair raising) part of the day. Being high up in the mountains meant we had to get back down somehow and of course the bus had to take the most hazardous road possible. Barely a lane and a half wide, the road was constantly winding with little to no safety rails on the side with the drop (often sheer into huge valleys below). At one stage we even saw the remains of a car that had tried to find a quicker (and deadlier) path from the top to the bottom.
Thankfully the bus had a good set of brakes and we managed to make our way back to the hotel.
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