Granada continued, Ametlla de Mar and Barcelona

There is still so much to rave about the Alhambra and Generalife monuments. . . .

When we exited the Nashid Palaces, we continued on the designated route to the ruins of the Palacio del Partal, built during the reign of the Sultan Yusuf III (1333-54).  Still standing are the portico of the palace, the oratory (chapel) and the part of the Promenade of Towers.  The ruins of the palace are a designated archaelogical area.  In the past (perhaps 100 or more years ago), in an attempt to give the ruins a more romantic ambiance, overseers leveled off some of the walls and planted shrubery and flowers.

The large pool in the large, formal garden of Sultan Yusuf III as well as the garden plots themselves have remained or been restored to the lovely state in which they were designed and maintained 700 years ago.  We enjoyed strolling through them as we passed the Embattled Tower, the Quarter Gate, the Tower of the Captive and the Tower of the Princesses.

Palacio del Partel garden

We exited the Alhambra fortress by the Water Tower and crossed the now dry Water Channel in order to visit Generalize, just north of the fortress.  Generalife was the summer palace and country estate of the emirs of Granada.  The area includes the formal lower gardens, from which much of the Alhambra is visible, the white-walled Palace of Generalize and the upper gardens.  The lower garden is divided into a series of parallel promenades separated by carefully pruned cypresses and shrubs.  This garden leads to the entrance to the palace.  Within its walls, particularly attractive is the Court of the Water Channel, which provides a peaceful feeling with the trickling sound of water and the elegant arrangement of trees and plants. Here and throughout Andalusia, the importance to the Moors of the soothing sound of water and the scents and colors of the plants within the boundaries of their palaces is readily perceived.

View of the Alhambra from the Lower Garden of Generalife

Water Channel

From the palace, a series of stairs leads to the smaller upper garden and the Water Stairway, which used to carry water to the palace from the sultans' canal.  Above these is the Romantic Mirador, a pavillion with views of the Alhambra and Generalife and the hills of Granada.

Generalife Palace

view from the Upper Garden

Leaving the Generalife Palace and walking above the lower garden, we strolled under a long series of high, arched trellises covered with pink and white oleander which led to a quiet path bordered on each side by cypresses and woodland.

Entering into the Alhambra fortress again, we walked through the ruins of the Medina, the town of the Alhambra, which would have contained public baths, ovens, workshops, silos, cisterns as well as houses of government officials and employees and court servants.

Bouganvillea in front of a hotel in the Alhambra

Passed the Medina there is a row of shops, and we stopped there to buy souvenirs before continuing on to the last part of our tour, the Alcazaba, or military area of the fortress, one of the oldest parts of the citadel.  It includes plazas, towers and ramparts that provide great views of Granada and the surrounding area, the ruins of the military quarters, and a small garden with lovely roses, the Jardin de los Adarves.

Granada from the Alhambra

After hours at the fortress, we finally left and descended to the old town along the same shaded path we had used to ascend.  We returned to our hotel to rest for a while and went back out much later (since so many restaurants and stores are closed for siesta) to find food.  Although Katya avoided the temptation this time, the artistic and appealing ice cream displays still captured our attention.

Ice cream in Granada

The next morning (Friday, June 12), we slept in a bit and then went out to buy more Andalusian goods as well as food for the day.  Hesitant at first, I was able to ask for and understand directions to a supermercado, where it is always cheaper to buy bread and other supplies than the shops in the tourist areas.

We checked out of our hotel at noon, caught a taxi in the Plaza Nuevo to the train station, and began our journey by bus (since the tracks are ripped up in Granada) and train to Camp Tarragona via Antequerra Santa Ana.  The bus was cramped, but we were able to spread out and relax in the first class car on the train.

As we were arriving at Tarragona, I realized that I did not know how to recognize Peter's cousin Pauline or her husband Manolo, who we were going to visit for a couple days.  In the main hall of the station, we looked around for likely suspects and I even asked a couple people who were along and seemingly waiting on someone if they were looking for the Browns.  They were not, but after a couple more minutes, we saw the man I had approached pointing us out to another man, who was Manolo.

Manolo was our chaffeur for the weekend.  On the way to the Rios' flat in Ametlla de Mar, we stopped at a shop to pick up Manolo's new phone.  His son David works there, so we were able to meet him.  We then continued on from there to the small city (or large town) where Pauline and Manolo live.  Pauline greeted us from the balcony, which overlooks a wooded area, a cove and the rocky coast.  She had prepared a delicious Spanish omelette and salad for us, and we enjoyed relaxing over the meal and conversing with them as the sunlight faded.

Every weekend, they go to their country house, only a couple of miles away.  They left us at the flat on our own.  We were sated with food and tired, so we stayed in and went to bed early.  In the morning (Saturday, June 13), when I woke up around 8 a.m., I could hear rain pattering on the window panes--the perfect excuse to roll over and sleep some more!  Katya and I got up mid-morning and, though it was still overcast, went out to walk on the promenade above the Mediterranean Sea and through part of the town.

Manolo picked us up at 1 p.m. and took us to their country home for lunch.  He showed us around the property, which includes various kinds of fruit trees, fig trees and many olive trees as well as a vegetable garden.  The house is built and liveable but not finished, as they are getting the work done a bit at a time.  From the large terrace, where we ate the wonderful lunch of paella and other delicious dishes Pauline had prepared, we could gaze over acres of trees to the sea.

Pauline, Katya and Manolo at the Rios' country home

When we returned to town, the skies had totally cleared, so we took a longer walk, going to the end of the harbor and back and then through town again.  There were lots of people enjoying the beach and sea in the warmth of the late afternoon.

Probably it was because I had drunk more wine than I am accustomed to consuming, but I was still tired after our walk, so I slept some more.  I woke up in the evening, watched the storm clouds and lightning over the Mediterrean, read for a while, and then slept again until the morning.

Katya was not willing to go, but I went to the beach for a couple of hours on Sunday morning (June 14).  After a swim in the salty sea, I found a comfortable place on the large stones of the breakwater.  Their shades of ochre, sienna and cream contrast with the deep blue water beside them, and seams of white quartz sparkled in the sunlight.  I read a few chapters of War and Peace (I should finish it before returning to California in a couple days.) and, before getting sunburned, returned to the flat to shower, dress and pack up for the last leg of our European journey.

Cove at Ametlla de Mar

Requisite selfie (after swimming in the Mediterranean)

Manolo picked us up at 1 p.m. again to go to the country house.  Pauline, a very industrious person, I must say, had finished making cherry jam and was in the process of making plum jam while also preparing lunch of lentil stew and vegetables.  She had already visited her daughter and grandchildren and gone shopping--mainly to get enough French bread, since she noticed that Katya consumes a lot of it if it is available.  Manolo had been to church, run errands and seen real estate clients already.  They said they were exhausted from running their language school and were looking forward to the summer break, but I don't think they take breaks!

After spending some of the afternoon with Pauline and Manolo (and making last-minute reservations for a hotel), we said farewell, and Manolo took us to the train station in Ametlla de Mar, where we caught a train at 4:20 p.m. for Barcelona.  After two stops, the train was very crowded, with people standing in the aisles.  We were glad we got seats for the two hour journey.

We got off at the Estacio de Franca, in the neighborhood of El Born.  Our hotel is only a few blocks from the station and across from the Parc de la Ciutadella.  After settling in, we wandered through the park and then down to the waterfront.  We saw some large and expensive yachts in the Marina Port Vell.  Thousands of people were out for the evening, strolling along the streets, having drinks or dinner, going to discotecques or relaxing along the beach.  We noted that all the people were just coming out at a time when most of the people we know would be settling in at home for the evening.

Aurora on top of the Font de La Cascada (with seagull)

Parrot in the park

Sailboats docked at Port Vell

We walked until we were tired and then returned to the hotel.  For some reason--and unusually during this long vacation--I couldn't fall asleep easily.  I ignored two alarms this morning (Monday, June 15) and finally got up after 9 a.m.  We enjoyed a sumptous breakfast at the hotel and then set off to explore the city of Barcelona.

Our first stop, after wandering through some narrow streets, was the Esglesia de Santa Maria del Mar,  a medieval church built in the 14th century in the Catalan Gothic style.  From the outside, it seems massive, heavy and dark.  On the inside, the slender, octagonal columns soar to the the vaulted ceilings, and beautiful stained glass windows illuminate the walls with a golden light.  The rose window at the end of the nave opposite the apse in quite large with deep blues and reds predominating.

Santa Maria del Mar

After this basilica, we continued on through the neighborhood of Ribera to the Barri Gotic (Gothic Barrio), the old medieval city with its labyrinth of streets and alleys opening onto spacious, open plazas.  Roaming somewhat aimlessly, we eventually made it to the Rambla, a long boulevard with a central pedestrian area that stretches from near the waterfront to the Placa Catalunya, a central area of Barcelona.  The Rambla is one of the most popular areas for tourists.  Although it is attractive, we did find it particularly appealing, prefering the narrow streets.

Barri Gotic

We turned back into these and the Barri Gotic to find the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia, the main church of Barcelona and the resting place for the city's patron saint. The outside of the medieval church was given a new facade in neo-Gothic style in the late 19th century, with large gargoyles and delicately carved spires. Inside, their are five aisles.  Along the exterior walls of the nave, as in many of the European churches we have visited, large alcoves serve as chapels.  Within these are elaborate altars in front of triptychs or other large paneled altarpieces containing priceless religious paintings within gilt frames.  Some of the chapels seem to have more gold than any other substance.  I stopped at each altar and took a lot of photos throughout the sanctuary while Katya poked along behind me, obviously bored.

Catedral de Barcelona

Turning away from the sacred as we left the basilica, we sought an antidote and found it on the wide street of Portal de L'Angel, lined with department stores as well as upscale and designer and shops.  We stopped in El Corte Ingles, a popular department store in Spain, and the small shop of Swavorski crystal next door before going to H&M.  Katya insisted that shopping is what tourists are supposed to do, so we bought a few thing for her in the shops.  The bright lights, background pop music and vibrant displays cheered her right up!

Street musicians playing jazz

Katya shopping

After shopping, we continued on our long trek through the streets of Barcelona.  We stopped to admire the Art Nouveau design of the Palau de la Musica Orfeo de Catalana and the definitive, unmistakable architecture of Antoni Gaudi as seen in La Pedrara, a house he designed in the early 20th century.  We were en route to the Parc Guell, also designed by Gaudi, but a dark sky loomed ahead of us (while behind us, toward the sea, the sky was a cloudless blue).  Once the thunder started to rumble, we turned away from the storm and retraced our steps along the Passeig Gracia to the Placa Rei Juan Carlos I.  We decided to go to Gaudi's still unfinished cathedral, the Sagrada Familia.  When we arrived there, a light sprinkling of rain had begun and the wait for entrance was over two hours.  We decided to come back to the hotel to rest, since we had been on our feet for over six hours, and make plans for the rest of our stay in Barcelona.

Palau de la Musica Orfeo de Catalana

Gaudi's La Pedrera

Arc del Triomf near our hotel

Tomorrow is our last day, and we have tickets for the Picasso Museum, the Sagrada Familia and the Parc Guell.  We may even use the Metro to get from one place to another, but we like finding surprises as we walk.