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Elizabeth's entry =]

Spain, Spain, Spain. There are a lot of things that I could say about this place but it's beautiful and the people are not so much as i expected. Everyday as Im sure grandma has mentioned we go to a different Parador, and all I will say is that my feet touch nothing but marble, Grandma and Ray Ray really know how to pick a hotel. The picture is a man named Xabi and I , he was really sweet and would only speak spanish to me. Spain runs the way that my mother would like Connecticut to run, there is nap time and then we get to stay out until midnight. The Spanish are very relaxed and they dont worry about the time passing, a nice change for somone who lives an hour away from new york and time is everything. Everyone in Spain is in love it seems, eithr with someone, or with football. A way of life we could all take some tips from. I will be happy to get home though, you realize how American you are once you leave, you have to order threee cokes to equal your normal one at home. Shopping is good here but not too different from home, but a lot more women wear dresses and more women are taxi drivers. I love Spain and would really like to study here for a year, speaking Spanish will be difficult but the more you are around it and are forced to speak it the more you learn. Spanish is a beautiful language and I must say Spaniards speak it the most beautifully. Im grateful that my grandparents took me here because who knows when i will make my way back.

Alcazar

On the side of the Alcazar they have these rings. Ray said he thought it was to secure their animals. I think it was for punishing people. Hang them out there in the blistering sun to make examples of them.

When do you blog?

Suzanne, ask when do I find time to blog? Well, first the time is crazy here and I find myself staying up LATE. Consequently we sleep late so we can usually only do one thing a day. While R & E watch TV or read I blog. And usually I stay a stop behind on my posting. For the past couple of nights I have had a hard time sleeping. The other night I took a shower @ 4am and I never do things like that. But, the next day was a traveling day so I got to close my eyes in the car.

Usually, I read to E & R and tell them what is coming up. Elizabeth only listens to about 1/4 of what I say and I am not sure Ray hears anything I say. I sit in the back seat and "E" navigates.

The internet us usually free. But we have had to pay as much as 10{ for 24 hours.

I am working on "E" to submit a post before we leave.

Go to the beginning

Scroll down to the "Granada post" and read UP to this one. I like the blog giving you the latest post first. But when you do them in a series it could be completed.

Reposing

When you listen to the audio, you are suppose to be listening to Washing Irving's voice and seeing Alhambra through his eyes. The man's has a wonderful voice. Anyway, Washington Irving stayed in this area and he says to sit a while and "repose" yourself. So, everytime E & R sit I ask them if they are reposing themselves?

Washington Irving was an American author. And wrote a booked called "Tales of the Alhambra".

Generalife

The Gardens of Generalife

16 sons

In this room Sultan Abul Hassan piled the heads of his first wife's 16 sons so that Boabdil, son of his second wife, could inherit the throne.

Now that is just down right devil pocessed!!

I think the Muslims fail to recognize the value of other people's lives.

I will write more about Boabdil later.

8 pointed star

This picture needs some work in photoshop!!

This is the roof of Sala de los Abencerrajes, where Abul Hussan piled his sons heads.

The eight pointed star is said to represent terrestrial and heavenly harmony. Really beautiful!!

Alhambra - 3-

Try to zoom in on the intricate cut work.

Alhambra - 2-

There is no way

copy cat Taj

The vast mirror of water reflects the solid white bulk of the Comares Tower. The slope of the white marble floors allows the water in the pool to reach right up to the plinths of the columns. So, it seems to floating on the water. This use of water to mirror a structure above was used some three centries later (1630-47) in the Taj Mahal at Agra, India.

Alahambra - 1

The Christians drove the first Nazarite King Alhamar from Albaicin to this strategic hill. Where he built the fortress Alcazaba. In 1333-1354 the Moorish ruler Yusuf and Muhammed V from 1354-1391 built the Nazarite Palace. They say an unexplained force killed Yusuf and Muhammed V was left to complete the palace......I mean these things just happen you know how it is.

But, the Moors may not have comsummed alcohol but, they did love their cuccubines. They were so involved with their cuccubines that they cared little that the Christians were on the way to overtake the palace. His wife tried to confine him and control her army to defeat the Christians but, to no avail. The christians took over Alahambra the drove the Moors out of Granada.

Alhambra

Alhambra, where do I start. This place is amazing!! Second only to Mucci Puchi(sp) And if I had ever heard of it I do not remember it.

Give him alms, woman!
For there is nothing crueler in life
than to be blind in Granada.
-Francisco de Icaza, incribed in the Torre de la Polvara

I am using an old tour book and my book says they limit the visitors to 8,000 a day. When I tell this to our hotel clerk she tells me that now they limit it to 4,000 a day. The hotels are allowed to sell 2,000 and they sell 2,000 at the gate per day. But, she cannot get us tickets until tomorrow. So, we chanced it and go and hope to get a ticket at the gate. Well, they had the big football game last night and those that are not in the hospital this morning are sleeping in so the crowd was not bad.

Cost here is 13{ per person

and 4{ for the head phones

5{ taxi ride from the center of town.

When you get your ticket you are assigned a time you can enter the Nazarie Palace. Our time was 12 noon and we got there @ 11:30am so we had to hussle to find it. They allow you 30 minutes so after 12:30pm we would not have been allowed in. Once in you can stay as long as you wish. But when the lady gave us our map, ticket & audio she told us we had until 2pm to reach 3 places. After 2pm no one would be allowed in any of those places. If you are already in there you can stay as long as you choose. So, once we finished the palace........if you ever finish........we rushed over to "Generalife". Getting there about 1:45pm. Generalife is where the Sultans lived.

Granada

Next stop Granada! We were unable to stay in the parador in Granada. That one sells out 6 month ahead. And once we got there I understood why. But, it would have been great to have stayed there. The name of the hotel chain we stayed in is "Room Mate" and they are all over the world. They are owned by a wealthy Spanish man. They have resently opened one in NYC......I think that one is named Grace. But, I would highly recommend them. I believe they all serve breakfast. Our desk clerk there spoke the best English and gave us lots of good information.

Olive fields

When we left Carmona for Ubeda the sunflower fields gave way to Olive fields. I guess the northern part of Andalucia is all olive fields. There are shops that sell nothing but Olive Oil. We even had olive oil ice cream. Not bad.

But hundreds of miles of olive fields. That is the main source of income in Ubeda is olive oil. There are several processing plants here. But, this is not the season. I am sure they have a festival for the olive harvest.

And the olive oil is pretty awsome. The Spanish say the Itialians buy Spanish olive oil and put their label on it.

It was hot in Ubeda but, still not as hot as Sevilla.

Our room

When we first got to Ubeda and went to our room the room was warm. However, I had just come in from a long hot walk. But the room never cooled off. We called the clerk in and she did something and said she had fixed it. Well, she had not and the night was very uncomfortable. So, next morning first thing I stopped by the front desk and I was a little steaming. She said you husband said it was better........I kept saying NO NO. And the man clerk said we put you in another room. Ray said I pulled a Rosie. The room they put us in was at the corner. Elizabeth had her own room and we had three balconies over looking the square. We sure hated to leave that parador.

Next stop Granada where our room is so small you could not sling a cat without hitting all four walls.

wedding

If it's Saturday there must be a wedding in town. They were heading into out parador to take pictures. Ray said the bride only smiled for the pictures. He can be so suspicious sometimems.

Tapas

We were looking for an open market. Our desk clerk directed us to this square. Well there was no market so we went down this alley and found a shady spot and had some liquid beverage and this is the first time when they brought our drinks they brought us tapas. One was a rice dish and the other was mushrooms & ham in lots of olive oil.

E & R revolt

Sometimes R & E revolt on me and just find a shady spot when we are sight seeing. I just continue walking and come back and tell them what they missed. As much as I dislike orlander it sure is pretty here.

little girls

Christy, even the Spanish little girls wear bows in their hair. The children are beautiful.

Next morning

The next morning while we were eating breakfast we ran into Christina & Fernando again. This time the talk is all about the Euro Cup which took place Sunday night between Spain & Germany. Elizabeth says she wants to get a flag. The next news we knew Fernando goes to his car and brings Elizabeth this Spanish flag. Spain did win the Euro Cup.....1-0.....We did watch and cheered for Spain. I think I blogged through it.

They were so fun to be with. We hated to say good bye. But, she and Elizabeth did exchange email addresses and Elizabeth says when she comes over for her semester abroad she is going to look Christina up. We all hope to hear from them both again. Christina is going to be in CT in the fall.

Elizabeth is wearing her Barcelona soccer shirt. Fernando told her not to wear that shirt in Madrid.