6 May

Because of our cheapness, we opted for the 4-person, gender-segregated sleeping compartments on the train. The compartments were very small, making our economy class room on the ship look like a hotel suite from an old Sinatra movie. Janene was in with 3 Spaniards who spoke zero English, while I had my compartment all to myself. Had we only known that nobody else would board along the way, she could have moved over. Oh well.

We arrived on schedule. The daylight part of the trip thru the countryside was very nice. The land reminds me of southwest U.S., but not really desert. Lots of adobe buildings and olive groves. On arrival in Granada, we met a couple of girls heading for the same hostel as us and tagged along, as they had directions. We still got lost, but did find the place and moved in.

We took a walking tour of the old part of town for a couple of hours, then had lunch, wandered about on our own, and ended the day with a 2 1/2-hr Segway tour that took us way up into the hills. This is a traditionally gypsy area where people have been living in caves for thousands of years. They've built nice facades on them so they look like houses. It's unclear if anyone actually owns most of them. Apparently, you just find an empty one, get the blessing of the neighbors, and move in. Lots of what can only be termed hippies live there. No utilities, but warm in winter & cool in summer, so they're happy.

We ate supper in a local café. Joe went for an evening stroll around the neighborhood. It's all tiny narrow streets, just barely wide enough for one small car, and even tinier alleys, all lined from one end to the other with open shops. Very Indiana Jones, but very fun. Hard to believe we're not at Disney World sometimes!

Walking Tour

11:40 am

11:44 am

cats by Rio Darro	burro taxi advertisement	Carmen de la Victoria	'Balarina'
Arco de las Pesas	1:51 pm

Segway Tour

starting up the hill...

...just past Carmen de la Victoria

Casa La Sevillana	Joe on Segway	gypsy caves
looking east on C. Siete Cuestas		view from Abadía del Sacromonte

opposite direction of above

Janene & Joe at above

funny sign