Granada Day 2

We woke up Sunday morning and Lucinda, Matthew, and I went out to a local cathedral to catch mass -- unfortunately, they were held on the 1/2 hour rather than the hour so we were only there for the tail end.  We then gathered everyone else and all of our baggage for a quick jog to the car and then a very quick jog to meet up with a group for a free walking tour of the old part of Granada.  Once we arrived, we soon realized that the tour (all in Espanol) was not our cup of tea so we dropped out and did our own thing.

::We started out at the Cathedral of the Incarnation -- lovingly built atop the ruins of a Moorish mosque

::Right off of the square there is the site of the old Silk market,the Alcaiceria, that is filled with souvenir shops now

::The market opened up to a big square with dancers, bubble blowers, beggars, and even Mickey Mouse.  Matthew bought a sandwich for one of the men begging, but then was harassed by the others for not bringing them a sandwich.

::We had lunch at a lovely little pasta shop -- this lighted stairway was the grandest route to a bathroom we've ever seen

::How do you demolish a building that is attached to other buildings on three sides???  Very carefully, I guess.

::Next, we made our way to a neighborhood called Albayzin, that is filled with winding little paths from its medieval past.  At this point, we were regretting not buying a bus pass for the day, but it was too late to turn back now...

::We were able to tour an old house that we happened upon accidentally -- and it was free!

::More walking... had to take a little break halfway up the long long staircase

::The day had begun with a chill, but after tromping around the hills, we all warmed up

::Can you tell Archie likes to pose?  He would've made a great model!

::We stopped in front of this church to listen to this band which consisted of: 1 didgeridoo, 1 violin, 1 banjo, 3 buckets (+1 for sitting upon), and about 8 frying pans.  They were so so good!  And the boys were fascinated.  Now we know we never have to invest in an expensive drum kit -- buckets are the only requirement!

::Our view during the concert was the Alhambra looming above us

::By this point everyone was completely, completely exhausted so Matthew and I ran back to the car park and left the children in a plaza watching street performers.  We just thought we'd be able to drive right back and get them -- hahahahahahaha, hmmm.  Nothing is that easy and we must've looked quite bewildered because someone on a motorcycle offered to help us, led us on a crazy zig zag through back alleys (Were we going to pick up our kids or be murdered?  Only time would tell...), and then demanded 10 euros.  I guess it was worth it.

::The Plaza Nueva, where the kids waited and were entertained/maligned by the locals

::We then made our way out of town, through the Sierra Nevadas

I didn't know we'd love Granada so much, but we're definitely fans now!