A Long Hiatus, or Granada Again

It´s been a while.

I finished the Camino de Santiago, visited London and Oxford. I did not blog about the crazy and exciting people we met on the Camino, or my joy at finally reaching the ancient city of Santiago de Compostela. I skipped the final goodbyes of my beloved Toledo program, and the goodbyes 10 days later to my friends in London. I didn´t write about the epic moonlit Boat Cruise (ahem) on the Thames River, Formal Dinner at Oxford with Josh Folkard & friends, reunions with friends including Kayla, Felicia, and Joey, or delightful games with my little London cousins.

Once again, here I am in Spain. I am in Granada with Tess and my grandparents. We are staying with my grandfather´s cousin and her husband. They live in a mysterious, ivy-hung house in the old Moorish district of Granada, with spectacular balcony views of the Alhambra. They feed us delicious Spanish food and discuss politics and culture with my grandparents, while Tess and I try to follow the Spanish conversation and occasionally chime in. Every so often, my great-uncle throws in memorized lines of Spanish verse, his own or someone else´s. Turns out he´s a well-known local professor and writer, with 12 books published and numerous articles. Miguel Carrascosa - look him up here: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_Jos%C3%A9_Carrascosa_Salas

We toured the magnificent Alhambra Palace and saw the tombs of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand in the Granada Cathedral. This time the Alhambra gardens spilled over with bright and fragrant flowers. Tess and I strolled with romantic dignity through the elegant palace - and took dramatic photos re-enacting the various historic murders that occurred in the palace, and played hide-and-seek in the gardens. I think we behaved better when we visited Granada 10 years ago, at age ten.

I have also concluded that traveling with grandparents is the best way to travel. Today I suggested that we grab some Moroccan tea for an afternoon tea. "I´d rather have sangría," said Grandma. So we did, as well as tinto de verano earlier in the day, and regional Alhambra beer with dinner.
I LOVE Spain.