Sat 05.May.2012
Granada, Andalusia, Spain

Granada, last capital of Al Andalus, the Moorish name for the Iberian peninsula. You still see that name here a lot. The aptly-named Sierra Nevada (Snowy Mountains) loom large to the south.
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This white wisteria flourishes here, alongside the usual lavender version.


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Where do I begin to describe the cultural stew of Granada? I am typing this in a slightly tacky tourist version of an arab tea house with wi-fi, just inside the moorish quarter (Albaycin). At the moment I am hearing some kind of spanish pop muzak with Gypsy overtones; a few minutes ago it was The Doors' The End, which somebody pulled the plug on a couple of minutes in. I am sipping a hot arab tea, grateful for a warm seat with an internet connection. Outside, a polyglot throng strolls the cobbled stairs of a twisty narrow lane, past interchangeable shops selling arab lamps, "hippy" clothing, carpets, manufactured souvenirs, etc.

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Uphill is a vibrant twisty arab quarter, with spectacular view points across a canyon to the high culture of the Alhambra.

Further up the hill, a major Gypsy quarter includes cave dwellings.

Below on the flats is a bustling Spanish city of churches, boulevards, plazas, and a huge conquering cathedral.



Paseo de los Tristes
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A lovely tree-lined plaza by the creek beneath the Alhambra.



Some kind of local festival
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A couple of days ago in the Albaycin...

In (at least) two little plazas in the Albaycin, festive cross-themed decorations were gathered. Every now and then, somebody would bring another and leave it there.

I understand that the two sites compete to be the most festively decorated.


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Apparently traduccion means translation. I thought it sounded like a six-bit English word for betrayal. Oh well.

Enjoying an outdoor coffee and tostada at one of those scenic vista points.


Tostada here is not our familiar Mexican snack of that name. Rather it is a half baguette, sliced, topped with something, and toasted. The topping is usually a spread, classically of tomato, or sausage, or anything you find on that part of the menu.

I've gotten in the habit of a snack of cafe con leche and a tostada, usually of tomate.


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