Alhambra Stalkers

The clique followed me all the way to Alhambra. Actually, I'm sure they would argue that I followed them since they had mentioned it this night before. However, I was under the impression that Alhambra was even remotely easy to get into and view during the day, had planned as such, and was corrected by a very nice girl from Barcelona who invited me to join her on a night tour since it was the only way I could be guaranteed to see it on this trip.

Why else does one come to Granada (besides the good food, close proximity to the beach, beautiful weather and sublime sangria, of course)?

I went.

We stood in queue for an hour and 45 minutes to buy the tickets, and then again to get our tickets scanned and be released into the palace, and I was mucho disappointed to see them walk by gawking at me as if I was a tiger escaped from the zoo.

Honestly, some people are so incredibly disappointing in their lack of tact. If you don't enjoy meeting new people or making an effort at being social and polite to those around you, why the hell don't you just stay home and spare the world the agony of making your acquaintance?

Anyway, we had stood in line with an American girl married to an Australian guy from Sydney, so we toured around with them. I made the best out of the fact that they were there, and even smiled and made polite conversation with the guy from Boston (who was, to be fair, the only one not acting like a droid all night at the hostel).

The Alhambra by night is very beautiful, but the Alhambra under a foot of snow would be breathtaking. It is a little disappointing in the evenings because all the fountains are turned off and the lighting is dim in most of the palace's focal points (and flash photography, and lying on the ground to steady your camera are both VERY frowned upon), yet it is still just as wonderful as you could imagine.

The lions supporting the famous fountain in the Court of the Lions were being restored which was also a little sad.

I must stress again.. if you decide to come to Granada, Spain and would like to see the Alhambra.. MAKE RESERVATIONS!

Francesa, the girl from Barcelona, and I went out for Tapas and drinks afterwards and then met a few people from the hostel to talk until about 2 this morning.

I was supposed to meet her to go walk the gardens at the Alhambra this morning, but unfortunately slept in (evidently I needed the sleep since I didn't even stir).

Johann from South Africa is supposed to be in Granada this afternoon at some point, so if there's time, maybe I'll take him so he can take some photos.

As for me, I've had a blissful day solo. I grabbed a quick lunch (Shawarma de Pollo y Quesa, or a Chicken and cheese pita sandwich), then some homemade watermelon ice cream at a stand, and wandered around the souvenir shops buying gifts.

Now I think I'm going to go lay in the sun and read some of my book.

Sometimes you lose sight of what is important when you travel, thinking you need to experience something every waking minute of your day in order to maximize your experience. I'm starting to realize that taking time out to just enjoy the experience and bask in the warm Meditteranean sun is just as much a part of the experience as the tacky tourist bit.