Third installment - Granada, Spain and Canary Islands
Granada, Spain and Canary Islands
The next day - Tuesday - I went to the Generalife in the morning. It is impossibly beautiful. Exquisite bouquets appear at every turn. And the smell! Fennel, marigolds, roses, damp moss, and a thousand other things perfume the air. (Later when I went back to the hotel, I smelled like fennel.) I will let the pictures speak for themselves. I met another very friendly Alhambra cat. When I petted him he nibbled my finger in ecstasy, and when I stopped he put his paw on my hand as if to say Don't leave! In the evening, out of the bus window, I saw an old man with a shopping cart - you know the kind you take your groceries home in - standing by the park wall. He was vigorously mixing raw chicken and dividing it among several plastic containers, while three or four cats watched from the bushes. So we aren't the only crazy cat people - at least we make the cats come to us! The real story though is dogs. Everyone has one. Or two. And most people don't use a leash. It is amazing to see all these dogs faithfully following their owners. People here also don't neuter their dogs, so we've witnessed some interesting scenes, but not as many as you'd think. After the generalife, I walked through the Carmen de Los Martires, another beautiful public garden. The central fountain surrounded by palms reminded me of the World Financial Center Winter Garden. There was also a pond, with ducks and turtles. A very peaceful spot. In the evening we returned to the Alhambra palaces for a night visit - with full moon, just as I planned it. Too bad about all the other people. I wish we could manage to spend the night like Richard Halliburton did, but sadly those days are long gone. The staff is very vigilant. The Alhambra is more beautiful at night - you can really see all the details. Again I will let the pictures do the talking. Somehow I also found time to take in the view from the Mirador de San Cristobal, and visit the Corral del Carbon, a medieval hotel of sorts. What a busy day!