Spain 2004

The resort was a collection of pretty little white buildings with 2 or 4 units in each. The grounds were very well kept with flowers growing everywhere.

The unit we had was pretty nice but we only had 2 single beds. The windows had strong bars across them all with sturdy locking shutters inside for security, but no screens. It was a challenge to find the right combination of open or closed, curtained or not, for the days and the nights.

And of course there were mosquitos (a good Spanish word). They weren't too bad for the first few days, but by the end of the week we were starting to hate them.

The Club is just off the beach, a wide swath of sand and groundcover leading to some whicker umbrellas and crashing surf. I tried to go swimming one day but the undertow was just too strong and I couldn't get a firm footing on the shifting sand.

Just back from the beach is a lagoon (laguna), probably the root of the name of the place. We had expected to find wading birds in there but never saw any, wading or flying nearby.

We stopped at the Market - a daily traveling show that moves from town to town - and at the fuente (fountain) where the public can get free fresh spring water.

Then we walked up the hill into the town where the dancing was going on.

Several of these looked to us like birds that were on the endangered species list - the barn owl and maybe some falcons.

Everywhere we went we tried the Gazpacho, looking for the best one. The worst was just cold Campbell's tomato soup. The best was full of garlic, thick with tomato and other veggies.

After lunch, some more wandering around town - white, white buildings, explosions of flowers, vistas from the hill top, and even a friendly black cat. Friendly, yes, but our Cat-illian was a little rusty.

In the view from the hill top you can see "Las Plasticas" in the distance - the white patches that cover the valley floor. These are sheltered, watered crop land growing several harvests a year of all kinds of vegetables, mostly for northern Europe.

After we left the town we drove further up into the hills, thinking we might find a way over them and a short-cut to "Mini Hollywood" where some "B" western movies have been filmed. We missed the short-cut, but found fields of flowers and a few untended olive trees.

We didn't see much in the way of animals, but the hardy plants growing along the coast were a surprise in themselves.

Further along the coast we came to a lighthouse. The rocky coast made it clear why the lighthouse was needed.

There is a broad central street running through the town called Rambla de Belén, great for walking, with statues and fountains and plazas.

Here you can see the old wall of the fortress running from the hill we are on (where that statue is) over to the other hill which is where the actual Al Cazaba is found.

The fort clearly has a huge Moorish influence as shown by the shapes of the walls and towers, but also by the extensive use of water in setting the atmosphere of the place.

We had a great lunch at a little restaurant along the beach called "La Pesquera". The waiter's English wasn't that good - but better than our Spanish - and our Spanish phrase book didn't have the "penknife" clams that we enjoyed. This was where we had the best Paella on our trip.

Once we arrived in Grenada we headed straight for Al Hambra, high atop a hill overlooking the city. We seem to have missed a lot of the tourist traffic (early June) and we even managed to get parking!

Find out more about Al Hambra.

The tour through the grounds starts with a garden and the Palacio of King Carlos 5, built like an old Roman Colliseum. After that taste of the past we were ready for the main event - the Royal Palace.

The incredible thing about the place is the carvings on the walls and ceilings, so intricate and detailed and extensive. We need to get someone to translate some of the Arabic script carved into the walls.

Water is used everywhere as an architectural element - pools, streams, fountains. Pictures here show the Patio of the Myrtles with the myrtle bushes lining the pool, and the Lion's Court with its fountain.

We were lucky that the place was not completely over-run with visitors. Usually, one only had to wait a minute or two for a crowd to pass in order to get a good picture.

There is a fascinating garden shown here which is based on Moorish design on one side and Renaissance on the other.

As we leave the main part of the Palace there are buildings used by other people who were high up in Grenada's society. One of these is called the Ladies' Tower and has a beautiful pool in front of it.

The family that recently owned that house was no longer able to afford the upkeep and they donated it to the people looking after Al Hambra on the condition that they continue the upkeep of the house and gardens.

Afterwards, we walked down to the Fish market. Since Garrucha is a fishing port, the ships all return to harbour late in the afternoon with their catch already cleaned and on ice in the hold of the ship. They sort the fish by type and size and prepare flats of fish, about 2 feet by 1 1/2 feet in size.

The auctioneer runs the show. Flats of fish are brought in from the ships, weighed, tagged and arranged for auction. There were normally 10 or so buyers wandering around the flats, some talking on cell phones, trying to get a good price for their market or restaurant.

We saw shrimp (various sizes), swordfish, mackerel, squid and bunch of things that have interesting Spanish names!

Once we got there we took a taxi to our hotel right in the heart of the old part of town (Bario Gottica). From there it was an easy walk to everything we wanted to see.

We started with the Cathedral - unfortunately the outside was under construction, perpetually under construction they say.

We carried on, wandering through old streets and plazas, making our way over to Las Ramblas, a long connection of boulevard walking streets and shopping areas ... time for a few souvenirs.

After dinner and the show we continued wandering through the town, heading down to the port area where we heard some music that was put on as part of the Festival del Mar.