Arrival
We got to the bus terminal on time and upon exiting the bus, I retrieved our bags from the bus luggage compartment. Unlike an airport, there were no signs to guide us, so we just followed the crowd out to the taxi’s. There was an unusual “people mover” that carried you up from the bus level. It was unusual because it went UP on an incline but did not have the standard “steps” you would see on a typical escalator. Margi got caught off guard and almost fell backwards!!
Out to taxi’s and use the printed address to Hotel Macia Plaza for the driver. 15 min, 10 Euro and we are in Plaza Neuva at the hotel at 8:30 pm. Location is right on Plaza Nueva.
Hotel
Hotel Macia Plaza was another recommendation from Rick Steves and this one fell into the OK category for us. The location was good, being right on Plaza Nueva. We are on the 4th floor in a modern room, but it is the smallest we had in Spain, sort of like what you might expect in mid-town Manhattan. At the foot of the bed, it is one lane only traffic, so to speak. The bathroom in modern and has a tub (yes, we consider that a plus). We do have a small balcony that overlooks the Plaza and you can see the Alhambra. There is no fridge but there is WiFi (LOL). We used a Sound app on my phone each night as there was noise from Plaza.
Day 5 – Tuesday evening
Check-in was quick. We unpacked a little and then went back to the lobby for a recommendation on dinner. We asked about Rick Steves recommendation of Los Diamantes and the clerk says is has excellent seafood and he points right across the Plaza. We walk over and find that it has bench type, picnic table seating available and so we sit down. It is loud, has locals, and is very good. We get a free tapas of potatoes with balsamic drizzle with our wine. We then order a full plate of fresh tomatoes with oil and sea salt (Margi LOVES), 1/2 plate of shrimp, 1/2 plate of assorted fried seafood, and we got a free 1/2 plate of mushrooms in garlic oil. Wine refills continued throughout and the bill ended up at $44.
We walked around Plaza Nueva, which seems to be mostly restaurants and government buildings, but some of the side streets have vendors that are still open. We get gelato as our dessert. We walk back to the hotel and up to our room where Margi fights with the TV to find the standard one or two English channels (BBC, CNN, and maybe Bloomberg) but she fails. Turns out that they have NO English channels!!
Day 6 – WEdnesday
Got up and out early (9:30 am) and take a HUGE load of laundry to the front desk. They promise we will have tonight. We ate breakfast at a cafe just outside the hotel but are disappointed (croissant has sugar glaze on it). We then went to find a place to activate our “Grenada Card” for museums and buses. End up having to go down the a few blocks to a tourist info place. We wait for a few minutes for an English speaking person, who gives us our two cards (for museums), 10 tourist bus tickets, map, and schedules. He points out which bus goes to which tourist site (mostly C1 and C3 buses for us).
We have a bit of a problem finding the correct location for the C1 bus but find it and take a full circle on the bus. Bus goes along impossibly narrow streets and up into the hills of the older parts of the town. We spot a place close to Plaza Nueva that looks promising for lunch (arbor with wisteria). After we get back to Plaza, hit the hotel bathrooms, and then walk down to the lunch. We FaceTime our grandson Jack for a few min but the public WiFi is slow. After lunch, we stroll back to Plaza Nueva and again visit the hotel bathroom (ok, I am pee boy!!). Margi waits in the Plaza while I am in the hotel and I get a FaceTime request from Amy. I run out to Plaza and find Margi, but at that distance, the hotel WiFi signal dies. We walk back to the hotel lobby and FaceTime with Maddie, Amy, and Sara.
Then we take a 7 Euro taxi to the Alhambra. We already have tickets, including a scheduled visit time for Palacios Nazaries. Rick Steves recommends that you pick up a book about the Alhambra in order to appreciate what you are seeing as it is 1000’s of years of Spanish history. But, we are on vacation, not an educational tour so we get one audio guide (and use our Steves recommended Y splitter) to give us some of the background. The place is absolutely huge and on the side of a hill, so lots of walking and climbing. The gardens are spectacular but I must admit that we were disappointed with the Palacios Nazaries, which probably makes us stupid, ugly Americans. We have to wait in line for about 30 min for our entry time to the Palacios and what you see are the intricate Moorish carvings on the walls and ceilings. This is beautiful but there are no furnishings, so the carvings are all that there is to see. And the audio guide points out the tiny details and special features (like this is the only example of a one eyed donkey facing west – made that up – LOL). Anyway, we can check the Palacios off our “list” but I think that overall the gardens and grounds were more impressive to us.
We did find one “gem” at the Alhambra. While walking along, we struck up a conversation with an English speaking tourist, who seemed to be alone. He was young and told us that he had been here early in the day to visit a friend who was staying at the San Francisco Hotel that is actually inside the Alhambra. We saw the entrance, but when we met this guy, we were walking around the side/back of the hotel and he pointed out a unmarked hotel entrance which was in a large wooden wall. We walked in and down a modern staircase into the hotel and then turned left to go out into the hotel patio, which is open to the public. We sat down at a table at the edge of the patio and were overlooking the “General Life” area of the Alhambra that we had already seen. We had several Coke Lites and beers in the beautiful sunshine.
After about a three hour visit, we exited and found a taxi stand. There was one other couple in line but there were no taxi’s waiting. Before one arrived, we spotted a tourist bus and the driver indicated that while she did not actually go to Plaza Nueva, she got very close. So, Margi got out our Granada Card tickets while I found us some seats. Unfortunately, I have a habit of carrying a small water bottle in my rear pocket, so when I sat down, my fat ass cause the water bottle to leak all over my pants and the the seat. Margi had some towels in her purse (which also includes the kitchen sink), so I try to sop up the excess water on the seat. My official apologies to any future travelers on that bus that got a wet behind due to my bonehead play!!
We recognize the stop close to Plaza Nueva, get out and walk back toward the Plaza (with my wet pants and ass). We find a tobacco shop to buy stamps for US postcards. Margi is the official communicator of our group, so she put on the cards and drops them into a yellow post office box. Back at the hotel, we get our laundry (30 Euro) and go up to the room where I change my underwear and dry my jeans with the hotel hair dryer/blower (I know, too much information).
We go back to the lobby around 7:00 and ask the clerk for a restaurant recommendation (Carmela Restaurante). It is a few blocks away, we we wonder a bit and find the place. As it is still too “early” for dinner, we find an outdoor cafe nearby and have some wine and free tapas. We sit in the sun and enjoy the people going by and I write in my journal. After a while, I wait for the check as Margi goes to Carmela Restaurante to get us a table. We have a bottle of wine, shared plate of sliced tomatoes in olive oil & sea salt, Margi has pasta bolognese (too sweet cuz too many carrots and just luke warm), and I have grilled octopus (I now know I prefer grilled squid). Bill is $53 without dessert, but we get gelato on the way back toward Plaza Nueva. Stick a fork in as us we are done. Crash back at hotel.
Day 7 – THursday
Guess what, sunny again!! We find a new place for breakfast and we sit inside as it is cool this AM. Granada is at a higher elevation and is surrounded by snow capped mountains, so it seems cooler than the other cities we have visited. We finish breakfast at a fashionable 11 am. We wander through a old Moorish section with very narrow alleyways (sometimes just two people wide) and find our way to the Cathedral which is the second largest in Spain. We get in with our Granada card and wonder through the Cathedral which is, you guessed it, huge. I stepped the distance around one of the supporting pillars and estimate it to be 45 feet at the base. We then exit the Cathedral and go to the the adjacent Royal Chapel (Capilla Real) which is where Fredinand and Isabell are entombed. We see their tomb and crypt.
After this, we walk around Moorish market some more and buy some souvenirs for the grandkids. Lunch is at another of the 1000’s of cafes with Margi having tomato salad and Diet Pepsi (first time for no Coke Lite) and I have croquettes (one ham/cheese and one spinach/roquefort) and beer. We sit near three English women with there pre-tween/tween children. The oldest tween girl leaves her retainer on a plate that is cleared by the wait staff and then the wait staff has to rummage through the garbage to find it. They are loud and obnoxious, so I take solice that there are also ugly English.
After more walking through the Moorish area, we go back to the hotel to re-pack our suitcases with our clean laundry as we are leaving the hotel at 7 am the following morning. I send an email to the Barcelona hotel stating that we would be arriving around noon and asking that they would have a room ready for us. We also try to re-confirm our Vueling flight (we have boarding passes) but fail. The clerk at the lobby tried to call but also failed, so we have our fingers crossed for the airport tomorrow.
For dinner, we decide to go to a restaurant recommended by Rick Steves, Pilar del Toro Restaurante. His directions say it is just past Los Diamantes but we misunderstand and so we walk around for a while to find the place. Actually, it is just at one end of Plaza Nueva, just past where all the mopeds are parked. We sit outside and have a drink and then inside at about 8:40 to have dinner. The place is actually a small hotel with dining in an internal courtyard with the rooms above. Our pretty waitress does not speak English well, but does recommend that we can split an insalata mixta. We have a bottle of wine, Margi has chicken (fried) and I have foie gras with apple. We order passion fruit ice cream with chocolate for dessert. All good for $63. We take short walk back to hotel, finish packing, and set our alarm for 6 am.
Day 8 – Friday – departure
We are down to the lobby at 7:05, settle the bill, and walk out to find a taxi. As promised, there are already a line of taxi’s at the taxi stand in Plaza Nueva. 20 min and 24 Euro and we are at the small Granada airport. As we enter, we see the Vueling gate with a few people already in line but no airline personnel. After about 10 min, check-in begins. After checking our luggage, we go to security where I proceed to drop my neck wallet with money and passports as I try to load everything into the security trays. Margi spots it immediately, so no harm no foul, except for being castigated, something about bonehead if I recall correctly.
We have a 16 Euro breakfast at a self serve place in the boarding area. Flight starts to board about 30 min prior to departure time. We have paid for priority boarding but I would not do that again, as we had mostly checked luggage and the priority boarding is just so that you can get on early and get overhead space. Seats have more room than Iberia flight from Madrid to Sevilla, there is no entertainment, and no food/drink. We arrive on-time in about 1.5 hours
Hit back and then select Barcelona