Granada

Balcony View of Alhambra

Alhambra Courtyard


Carved plaster in the Alhambra

The Generalife Gardens at the Alhambra

As a break from luxuriating at Al and Marc's house, Hector and I drove up to Granada for two days. I'd heard a lot about this town, mostly the famous Alhambra, which is a restored palace, built by the Moors, who controlled Spain until the 13th Century. The drive through the mountains was spectacular, and Granada itself is quite beautiful. We stayed at another Room Mate Hotel, the Migueletes (115€ for a balcony room with a view of the Alhambra), situated on a narrow little alley off the Plaza Nueva, very centrally located.

There was some doubt that we would be able to get tickets without an advance reservation to tour the Alhambra, because it's very popular. And after hiking to the top of the mountain where it's located, we were indeed turned away in shame. So our hotel booked a group tour for us, we were with about 25 others, which was fine. We got a lot of historical background we wouldn't have touring it alone. It's an incredible structure, or series of structures, really, since it was changed and added to over the centuries.

The rest of our stay we walked around town and visited churches and museums and ate tapas and drank wine. Granada has a very large university so there was a definite college town atmosphere. All the restaurant workers were students, and there was no shortage of pot smoking backpackers. It's not a place I'd like to live, but it is fun for a few days.

Returning to Al and Marc's, we chose a different route that took us south to follow the coastline, which was dotted with little resort towns, full of sunburned British and German expats, looking very out of place. Not my cup of tea. We had a good seafood lunch at Nerja, then back to our mountaintop for more luxuriating until time to return to Madrid and home. Once back in Madrid we visited all the places we liked so much the first time. Adios.

Costa del Sol

Al and Marc's House: El Carligto

Ronda

View from the Hilltop

After 4 days in Madrid we caught the brand new high-speed train heading south. Oh, what a pleasure…clean, quiet, stress-free travel. Our coach ticket was 78€ each. 165 miles an hour and 2½ luxurious hours later we arrived in Malaga, which is on the Mediterranean at the Costa del Sol. We never got to see much of the city because we rented a car at the train station and headed immediately out to Al and Marc’s house, near a village called Canillas de Aceituno (trans: Olive Crossings or Olive Pits, depending on who you talk to).

I began to get a little concerned as our directions led us higher and higher up into the mountains. By the time we reached the village, I had already stopped breathing, and was hanging upside down from the ceiling. This fucking village is quite literally hanging on to the side of the mountain. Marc and Al met us at the village roundabout and proceeded to lead us around a series of twists and turns on a cliff-face dirt road just wide enough for a car and a half. After about 15 minutes we reached their property, perched on top of a summit facing south, toward the sea. They have a 4-bdrm house with pool and 500 yards away is a duplex with another 4 bdrms and pool. They are about to refurbish it into a luxury guest house so we snuck in before they start charging people. They are surrounded on all sides by hillsides of olive orchards and grape vines, although how anybody can pick grapes at a 45 º angle is beyond me.

We spent 4 luxurious days here at El Carligto (trans: the eucalyptus tree), sunbathing, sleeping late, drinking wine, and having long dinners. It was heaven. The four of us took a day trip to Ronda, a gorgeous little town built over a ravine so deep that I can’t even talk about it.

Madrid

Changing of the Guard

At the Plaza Oriente

On the Gran Via

Spiderman at Plaza Mayor

Well, we had a strange route. San Diego-Dallas-Miami-Madrid, but lucked into a full upgrade using VIP stickers or something instead of air miles… not sure how that happened, but more to the point, why doesn’t it happen more often? Incredibly, there are no Marriotts in Madrid so we were forced to actually stay someplace different. And pay for it. I stumbled online onto a charming little Spanish hotel chain called Room Mate. They are all small boutique hotels with that loungy minimalist look and basic amenities. Free breakfast and wifi and I loved the location of ours (Alicia 90€ a night)—smack dab in the center of the historical district at the Plaza Santa Ana. So we were happy.

I guess I expected Madrid to be like Mexico City: trashy, chaotic, obnoxious. But it’s just wonderful. The tourist area is spotlessly clean and the architecture gorgeous. Every day we walked miles around town, from Plaza Mayor to the Parque Retiro to the Palacio, it’s just a fantastic city for walking. We visited the Prado Museum, (celebrity sighting: Ethan Hawke) went rowing on the lagoon at Retiro, sat for hours at the Plaza Mayor to watch the flow of tourists and performers, and generally dithered until it was time for more tapas and wine. On weekends, thousands of local families stroll through the parks and plazas; it was extremely civilized. I’m smitten. We spent a couple of extra nights in Madrid at the end of our trip. The Alicia was booked so we moved to the eccentric, wonderful and considerably more costly (285€) Casa de Madrid. Check it out.

Sunday at El Parque Retiro