Granada

Again, I am behind... I will post in chronological order on what we did. I have a few posts done, but won't be able to get them all up right away. First Granada...

After a day of rest and checking out Nerja we decided to head into Granada for some sightseeing. The drive was easy enough with our iPad/GPS. We made it to Alhambra without incident. When we arrived we learnt the most important traveling lesson yet. Check major attractions to see if you need tickets in advance! Turns out that the tickets for Alhambra were sold out until April 5!! Unfortunately by that time we are headed off in the other direction so we unfortunately we will not be able to see the Alhambra on this trip. We were quite disappointed, but were determined not to let it get us down. 

We headed into town to check things out. Today is the day Emily *really* started talking. She "chatted" all the way down the hill into town - and hasn't stopped much since then. She is practicing so she can compete with her cousin Anika. Nadia might not be able to get a word in edgewise with those two around!

After wandering without purpose for a bit we headed up the hill for the lookout spot that the guidebook said not to miss. Mark wasn't convinced it would be worth it, his reluctance could be a result of him having to do most (all) of the pushing of the stoller up the hill. This reminded us of Slovakia with the Sills - only quadruple the stairs and only two sets of adult hands to push/carry the stroller. Sills you owe us stroller carrying! The hike was worth it because the views of Granada and Alhambra was worth it. It was spectacular. 

Emily at the top sleeping as usual...

We then made our way (down the more used path which turned out to be much easier than my backwards way) to see the cathedral. It looked incredible from the outside... unfortunately it was not open. Given it was Ash Wednesday we figure it was closed for preparations. Outside the cathedral was bleachers set up and you could tell the town was getting reading for a festival. The guidebook indicated that today was one of the biggest festivals of the town. After some more wandering we noticed the street had been closed to traffic and people were starting to gather. We decided it would be worth the wait. Emily was sleeping in the stroller so we camped out near a fountain and waited. You could hear the drums in the distance and could see the cross being carried a ways away. We ended up waiting watching for a couple of hours it was really neat. Tons of locals came out to partake. 

Emily and Mom enjoying the parade. 

Following the festival we headed back up the hill to the car. The push up was easier than the previous stairs (but again, we thought of the Sills :-)). 

On the way home we stopped in at Nerja for dinner. We decided to check out Oliva - a restaurant recommended in the guidebook. If you are ever in this part of Spain you must check out this restaurant. It was spectacular. A little bit expensive, but for what you get it is a great deal compared to Canada. So good we headed back for another night.