Granada, Day One

This morning I rode the Porsche of coach buses. Leather seats, drinks and snacks service, and not one, but two crappy movies (in Spanish): National Treasure, and some movie involving Vegas and Ashton Kutcher. Throw in a few channels of radio with complimentary headphones and a Spanish newspaper that I only bothered to read one article in (about the coup in Honduras), and it was like being on an airplane without the annoyance of going through security! Four hours went by really quickly, and then we were in Granada, which is very warm, but absolutely gorgeous. It´s more quaint and medieval-looking than Madrid. Actually, in the bus station, the bathroom signs were in Spanish, English, and Arabic, which was very interesting.

Our hotel is awesome--it´s a three star that happened to be offering a nice deal if you stayed two nights in June. I am in fact using the computer in their lobby for free right now, which is convenient, even if their old computer means I can only upload five pictures at a time from my camera. We had lunch at a place I found while we were looking for the place Sean wanted to eat at from the guidebook, but it turned out to be so delicious--I had gazpacho and Spanish lasagna, and Sean had stewed ox-tail with potatoes, which resembles a pot roast that has died (figuratively) and gone to heaven. Then we wandered around the streets, and I forced Sean into a few churches, including the beautiful Gothic-Romanesque cathedral, and we meandered through the Albayzin, the old Muslim quarter with great views of the Alhambra, which is where we go tomorrow.

So apparently we both look more Spanish than we ever look Italian, because rarely did anyone mistake me in Italy (and never Sean) but here everyone and their mother thinks we´re Spaniards. While it´s nice not to be automatically given the English menu, it´s sad to then have to use my ridiculous Spanish! I cannot master this lisping business. "Grathias?" I can´t do it!

Also, I am in love with taxis. We´ve taken them everywhere, because this is my honeymoon and I am not hauling bags onto a city bus. I´m on vacation! Plus, it feels so deluxe to be zipping around a city, and it´s like an amusement park ride with the way these guys drive. Lol.