We left Sevilla at 7 am and although I was tired and wanted to sleep, the countryside was so beautiful that I stayed awake. It was hills after hills of olive tree orchards and other fields. Little villages were built on mountain sides and in the sunrise, they were dotted with lights and the churchs were the most prominent building in the villages. They were scenes from a story book. I can not do the beauty of it full justice. It made me realize that the country is where I belong, and Seville just seemed dirty and claustrophobic compared to the smooth gray-green hills.
Sevilla is usually around 50-60 degrees F, and even though Granada is just a tad south of Sevilla, it is located in the Sierra Nevadas at a much higher altitude. When we got there, we first went to the Alhambra, which is the fortress/palaces of first the Moors, then Isabel and Ferdinand when they conquered Granada in 1492. If it had been a different day, I could have appreciated it more, but as it was, I was using all my energy to stay warm. It was not fun.
The same day our group also toured the Royal Chapel-where Isabel and Ferdie's bodies rest. Amazing history here.
Granada is such a beautiful city. It is a lot smaller than Seville and seemed much cleaner. I don't know if it was just the mountain air or what, but I think Granada was amazing. A few of us went shopping in the Arabic market area and just wandered the streets. I also ate the ABSOLUTELY best meal I've had in Spain so far. It was a doner kebab. It is the Turkish version of fast food where the meat is roasted on a these spits and sliced off and put in a pita or wrap along with salad, Good Lord it was delicious!!
The bus ride back again offered spectacular views of the Spanish countryside and a sunset. I previously didn't even know I missed the open air, but now I remember how peaceful and serene it is and proved how great of an artist God is.
This was a very long post so thanks for reading and looking at my pictures!
Hasta luego,
corey
Beautiful post Corey, both the pictures and the narrative.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you discovered the Kabob. We lived off of those in Verona.