Granada

Barcelona was too big, San Sebastian too cold, Madrid was too metropolitan, but Granada is juuuust right.  I'm staying at the Funky Backpacker Hostel in a third floor room with six other people.  There's WiFi everywhere, a fridge in the room, a kitchen a few feet out the the door, a rooftop terrace beyond the kitchen, the people are incredibly nice and welcoming, and the bathroom is clean AND big enough to move in.

Granada itself is a college town with a friendly feel and something beautiful and historic everywhere you turn.  Unfortunately, all of the hostels in Granada are already booked for the weekend, so I'm not sure where I'm going to stay, but there's so much to do around here I'd like to stay a while.

I went wandering today, but don't really know what I saw, since I haven't gone on a tour yet.  The town's big attraction is the Alhambra, an old Islamic palace. 

Flying away from Barcelona

Flying into Granada

I flew in last night from Barcelona, caught a bus to Gran Via right by the Cathedral and found my hostel without too much trouble.  I was a little concerned when we were driving in from the airport at dusk, the outskirts kind of resembled a run down and potentially scary place in Mexico, but the city center is bustling and well lit.

My last hostel in Barcelona was about eight blocks from La Rambla on Catalunya.  The first night I was in a room that was never locked, with a bathroom door that barely closed and had no lock, and no lockers, so I was afraid to leave my stuff.  The cleanliness also left a lot to be desired.  The saving grace was the balcony overlooking Catalunya, allowing the hustle and bustle of Barcelona into the room. 

My second night they moved me to a different floor in a room that smelled bad, but there were lockers and the bathrooms did lock, although moving around was virtually impossible in the six inches around the shower stall.

My last few days in Barcelona, I just walked around, slept and read a lot.  My allergies went nuts and I was moping.  I did run across some more, very cool, Gaudi buildings.

And since every post really does NEED a horse or two: