Wet and Freezing in Granada

Dear Reader,

Our first trip to Spain was quite an adventure. One loaded with many stories and downright hilarious incidents. I made many mistakes in the planning of that trip. Mainly decided to tour the country by car, and I mean tour the entire country! It is vast and empty in most parts except the five major cities but when you get in those cities driving is the craziest I've ever seen anywhere. The reason I chose an auto was that there were no high speed trains in Spain back then and I wanted to see many beauties along the way.

Of all the sights in Spain, Granada had always been number one on my list. My mom told me about Granada and the empire of the Moors and their stunning palace, the Alhambra sitting high upon a pinacle. I had envisioned it a thousand and one times just like the tales of the Arabian Knights. We were definitely going to Granada!

The other mistake I made was by not booking any rooms in advance. We used to travel all over Europe that way. I would bring my list of cheap accomodations for each destination and we would go door to door requesting a room until we found one. It had worked fairly well in the past and even elsewhere in Spain but we were finally out of luck when we reached Granada.

We had been to Morocco by ferry and driven up from Malaga on the coast that day. It was balmy and warm on the coast. Granada is only about two to three hours by car yet due to it's location and elevation it is a completely different climate zone. We arrived after dark and once parked we set off on foot to look for a place to stay. Almost immediately it began to rain. We had no rain gear with us and were woefully unprepared.

The first three places we tried were completely full. This was rather unusual so after the fourth place I asked if they could suggest a place for us to stay. This is when we found out about the fete. What fete? I didn't know about any fete. Apparently it was a huge fete bringing thousands of people to Granada from all over southern Spain. Every room in Granada was booked. Even the five star hotel we checked in desperation.

By this time we were quite soaked and cold and frustrated so we went into a cozy bar for a drink and had some hot soup. John and I discussed our options. We could keep driving until we got somewhere but where? There is hardly anything at all between Granada in the mountains and our next destination of Toledo way up on the plain far north. Just emptyness. It seemed a hopeless situation and I was not leaving until I saw the Alhambra so we finally decided to sleep in the car.

Being on a budget we always rent the smallest cheapest car available. This time it was a Renault hatchback approximately 4 feet wide and not much longer. We parked it in a public area facing the rushing river below and to our amazement, across the river high up on a bluff stood the illuminated Alhambra. It was a beautiful sight illuminated in a golden light, brilliant. We gazed at it for awhile and then decided to try some sleep.

You might imagine how difficult it would be for my husband who is six foot five inches tall to sleep in a tiny Renault. The only thing he could do was sit in the passenger seat and recline it all the way. I lay down in the back seat but had to bend my legs quite a bit to fit. I could feel the cold air rushing into my back from the hatchback and if I tried to turn over I would hit the back of John's seat. It was just miserable. But the fun was only beginning. It began to snow. I kid you not. It snowed and snowed and we could see our breaths blow as we breathed in and out. The car fogged up immediately and I began to worry about carbon manoxide poisoning. The funny thing was there were cars on either side of us which were also fogged up and jiggling around because teenagers were in them and not sleeping. I think in my suffering I even asked one of them to turn down the music!

At this point we decided to put on more clothes. John and I have always traveled light and dress in layers when necessary. Being December we packed our silk long johns which take up no room in our luggage, are easy to clean and dry and really do keep you warm without being bulky. We already had our silk long johns on but they were not warm enough for the snow. So we got our bags out and began adding clothes. I had an extra pair of socks and pants and put them both on over my existing socks and pants along with an extra turtleneck top underneath my sweater and my windbreaker and my gloves. I also had a knit hat that I had just bought in Portugal and pulled it way down over my ears but it didn't reach my earlobes so they were cold all night. Poor John didn't even have a hat.  I felt like that kid in "A Christmas Story" after his mom dressed him up in the giant parka with the hat and scarf. I wished I had a scarf that night.

Somehow we both finally managed to go to sleep but of course I had to awaken in the middle of the night with the need to pee. This was a nightmarish situation for me. I have issues with public bathrooms as it is. I have to have a toilet with a seat on it and toilet paper or I'm totally traumatized. I've seen and done it all and I'm still traumatized. This was worse. There was no bathroom anywhere nearby and I would not make it until morning so I did what I had to do. I put my shoes back on and trudged out in the snow, which was about 4 inches deep already, and walked down the bank to the river and somehow managed to take care of business without falling down or being seen. When I returned I was frozen. My hair had never dried from the rain and this just added to my misery. I woke John and that added to my misery.

We both remarked while staring at the Alhambra which was still illuminated, I guess it stays that way all night, that if we die, at least we died staring at something beautiful. This was a cheerful thought and made us both laugh.

The next morning, frozen, still damp, and with a mouth full of moth balls, we wandered back to our friendly pub which was already open to our joy, and used their toilet facilities to brush our teeth and do makeup, mine, not John's, ha. I still had my knit hat on tight and when I removed it my hair was completely flat and perfectly straight down to my earlobes. I have curly hair and when mixed with water it curls even more or can be shaped by any object. My hat shaped my head like a cone with a strange fringe sticking out in a fan shape all the way around my shoulders. I tried to brush it out and even added some water but it was hopeless. It just got very electric and stood straight up so I went back to the hat head with the fringe. When John saw it, I could tell he was trying hard not to laugh loudly but it was painful for him and finally we both lost it. We had some coffee and then decided to go see that darned Alhambra and it had better be worth all that we went through, not to mention my hair.

It was, of course. It was superb and delicate and golden and lacey and calm and peaceful. The views over the mountains and Granada were lovely. The history of the palace and its importance made one ponder over war and why we can't get along. The Moors were very progressive people. When they conquered Spain they allowed complete religious freedom. They founded the very first university in Europe and encouraged students to come and study from all over the world. They also encouraged the world's greatest minds to study and lecture in their universities. They loved beauty and architecture and lovely fountains with lions or elephants around them. They ruled Spain for 700 years and it was a golden age for Spain. Christians, Muslims and Jews worked and studied side by side for centuries in this enlightened empire. It made me sad to think that they were forced out so brutally by the houses of Aragon and Navaro. When the king finally gave up the Alhambra they said he cried and I can understand that. It's a wonderful sight which anyone interested in history or sociology should definitely see. I'm glad I did.

The next night in Toledo we found a room with radiant heat in the floor and a bath tub instead of a shower. It felt like heaven just walking on the warm floor and soaking in the tub was almost orgasmic. The drive to Toledo is for another time because it included the most bizarre thing we've ever seen.

I'm glad we went to Granada and plan to go again someday. Nowadays, we don't waste time looking for rooms. I make all reservations in advance through the internet and travel by train everywhere possible, renting cars only when necessary to reach small out of the way places with no train station. This works far better and is much less stressful. It took me years to perfect this system and travel is even more enjoyable because of it. When you aren't wasting time looking for rooms or driving you are spending time enjoying yourself, drinking wine, and meeting new friends and that is what travel is all about.

Hasta Manana