We were having trouble getting train tickets for tomorrow. The train website starts out in English then the further you go in to buy your tickets it becomes all Spanish. So the young man at the front desk recommended we go down the street to the travel agency (we could have taken a cab down to the station and back, but we were trying to avoid that if possible). So we headed for the travel agency, but one store said they didn't do tickets on Saturday and Sunday and the other agency next door said their Internet was out. Sigh...so to plot our next strategy, we headed to the Carmela for lunch. The hotel recommended it again even tho they knew we'd been there before. Either they are in cahoots together or they are just the best place in town. So since we knew they were nice and the food was good, we grabbed a quick bite. I wanted the honey cheese bread like I had last night and Guy ordered scrambled eggs with ham and potatoes. When the food arrived Guys egg was actually sunny side up on top and the server took a spoon and fork and began smashing it all together - hence the "scrambled" we guessed. It was good but he said the potatoes were not very hot. This restaurant is on the corner of transients and beggars. Several people stopped by our table for money or to bum a cigarette (lucky for them, two fingers to the mouth is universal sign language for needing a smoke). Fortunately, when you say "no" they scamper away pretty quickly.
So after lunch we get back to the hotel and the young man (I need to learn his name) asked if we had any luck. After saying no, I headed up to the room to pack my bag for the Alhambra visit and Guy stayed downstairs. When I came down I was just in time to pay with the credit card as the young man got on the Internet and ordered them for us. He put all the info in and the credit card company wouldn't let him continue without calling the 800 number for verification - even tho Guy called the CC company before leaving home and told them we would be in Spain. He tried to just "continue" online, but when he did all the info was lost and he had to start from scratch. So we weren't the only one frustrated with getting train tickets. On the next try we called the 800 number and I had to talk to the Chase Visa people. They wanted my current address, where I lived before that, last 4 digits of my SS#, and ON and ON! She said "Are you in possession of the card right now?" Um....yes!!! She knew the process with the train tickets and verified the transaction, so now when the guy hit "continue" it worked. We appreciate the CC company being careful, but that was a bit ridiculous. We've been burning that card up here for a week, but when buying online it became a problem. Anyway - after all that..all is good!
I decided to not to haul all my photo equipment up the hill to the Alhambra and just took the basics today. I knew it would be a long day of walking and I'm on vacation, so that means I don't have to if I don't want to. ;) The walk up was indeed steep. We had to stop a few times just to take a break. When we got to the top we got in line to enter the portion of the Alhambra with all the detailed work on the walls and ceilings. We had to enter at 2pm and luckily we were on time. Once you go in, you can't go back in that day. A couple of the other areas were the same way. You had to show your tickets several times, but they only worked once. The bad thing was I didn't get to purchase the audio guide until I was past the first part with all the intricate detailed architecture, but when I did get my audio guide, I went back and listened to the first part. Here is a short Wiki description before I go on:
The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It was originally constructed as a small fortress in 889 and then largely ignored until its ruins were renovated and rebuilt in the mid 11th century by the Moorish king Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar of the Kingdom of Granada who built its current palace and walls, and later converted into a royal palace in 1333 by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada. The Alhambra's Islamic palaces were built for the last Muslim emirs in Spain and its court of the Nasrid dynasty. After the Reconquista by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492, some portions were used by Christian rulers. The Palace of Charles V, built by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1527, was inserted in the Alhambra within the Nasrid fortifications. After being allowed to fall into disrepair for centuries, the Alhambra was rediscovered in the 19th century by European scholars and travelers, with restorations commencing. It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions, exhibiting the country's most significant and well known Islamic architecture, together with 16th-century and later Christian building and garden interventions. The Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the inspiration for many songs and stories.
It is as beautiful as the Italian mosaics, but so very different. The walls and ceilings have intricate detail, some carved from wood, but mostly formed from plaster. They are continually restoring parts, but restoration consists of them filling cracks and cleaning. It is quite amazing to see and even though its last residents were Christian, this one particular part of the Alhambra is for the most part - and lucky for us - untouched from the original Muslim design. Others have conquered the Alhambra and transformed/added on - expressing their unique designs in their particular additions. As our cab driver in Madrid described it as being "awesome" - it truly was and has quite the history...which continues because some of the gardens and even an amphitheater were added as recently as the 1950s. I can see why it is a leading attraction in Spain. We are blessed to have been able to experience it, but in sharing our experience with you...photos and words just don't quite do it justice. That is for sure.
The walk down was easier that the walk up, but still if you slipped, you'd slide or roll for some time before coming to a stop. We hit a few shops on the way down and picked up a few things, then headed back to the hotel for a drink and a snack. Guy is taking a rest while I blog and grow old watching my photos S L O W L Y load on wifi here at the hotel. Not really complaining tho, it is free and we have access, so that is the main thing! So the photos from today don't have many comments on them as it is just our visit to the Alhambra. We even threw in a few "selfies" to verify we are official tourists!
Well we cancelled our dinner reservations and opted to stay in tonight. Guy is only feeling about 80% and neither of us were really too hungry, so it is probably a better to relax and not push it. So we'll choose one off the 5 movies I downloaded, eat the snacks I confiscated from "High Tea" time, and snuggle in for the night! ;-) - Tomorrow morning the train to Seville!
Well we cancelled our dinner reservations and opted to stay in tonight. Guy is only feeling about 80% and neither of us were really too hungry, so it is probably a better to relax and not push it. So we'll choose one off the 5 movies I downloaded, eat the snacks I confiscated from "High Tea" time, and snuggle in for the night! ;-) - Tomorrow morning the train to Seville!
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