Next...Granada....

So we took an over night train from Barcelona to Granada, Spain arriving Wednesday morning. It was definitely interesting.... all of us were in our own sleeper train with very small bunks. Our luggage took over one ... so it was definitely a tight ride! I slept the whole ride there! And woke up when we go there at 9 am. We weren't able to check in to our hotel, so we just walked around this cute town. It has a lot of centers and monuments of the Moorish civilization.....It definitely has a strong North African flavored culture here.... with the food, people, shops, and tapestries. After getting into the room and showering, we went to explore the city some more. We walked up the town streets and made it all the way to the top of a viewpoint of the city and the Alhambra, a Moorish palace. Just walking around the streets and seeing the homes and people made me realize how beautiful it is here. I can't even describe it. I will have to show everyone pictures. ( The internet is slow here and takes forever to upload the pictures, but I am working on it!) All the building were white houses (kinda of a Greece feel) and stacked on top of each other. They each had a large window and patio, which beautiful flowers hang. Once we got to the top it was amazing. We could see all of the Alhambra, and the entire city of Granada and more! There were so many people up there taking pictures, people playing the guitar, and the gypsies selling their work. It was pretty cool. I just stopped and look around and was speechless! We then walked down into town and walked around the small roads and alleyways that make up the city. There was a lot of little shops selling beautiful art and little items. Once we got back to out hotel room I crashed.... fell right asleep. We all kinda slept in today (Thursday) and took our time to get ready and get some breakfast! Which was nice! I will say I miss breakfast.... American breakfast! Here most just have coffee and a small pastry. I ma definitely trying to get used to that.... That will be the first thing I do... get some eggs and ham! Ha!Ha! We then walked through town into the Royal Chapel, where King Ferninand and Queen Isabel tombs are. It was pretty cool to walk around and just see all the history that lies here. We also stopped by the Cathedral (the second largest in Spain). It was huge! It it one of the only two Renaissance churches in Spain. It was beautiful.... And the art is amazing.... and all real 24K gold! Crazy! I will say....I am learning so much history... I am so happy that I can experience this! I love walking the streets and watching the people.... everyone enjoying life. Next was the Alhambra, an old Moorish city, with a fortress, a beautiful Islamic palace, and gardens. It is an absolute wonder. The stone and tile work was so intricate. And the gardens had the most amazing roses, greens, and fountains. We took most of the day to walk around the palace and the gardens, and had the most amazing view of the city of Granada. Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better day! Absolutely beautiful! The weather is quite warm here, especially since we are in Southern Spain. So....we just finished having dinner in one the old plaza, and attempted to have spaghetti.... haha ..... all I got was plain noodles. Oh well, what can you do!?! We then walked around because the city is getting ready for "El Dia de Las Cruces" The Day of the Cross, which is a big festival in Spain, where all the squares are decorated with crosses decorated with roses. Next stop, a small town....Ronda.