Our Adventure to Spain - Day 2 and 3

OK - the jet lag has finally abated, I have put away the suitcases - time to write it all down lest I forget!

Day Two -
We went to the Royal Palace ... no pictures were allowed on the inside but, oh was it fantastic! I haven't ever been inside a palace before and it was absolutely breathtaking! Each room was more fabulous than the next.

It started to rain - good thing we brought our rain jackets! We headed over to the Prado - Spain's most famous art museum. No pictures allowed inside there either. It was really amazing to see such famous work - Goya being the most mentionable.
Next we tried our hand at ordering in a pastery shop! It was super crowded and you just kind of push forward till there's room at the (standing only) counter. Luckily everything was out on display and we pointed to what we wanted. The local lady next to us spoke a little english and helped us order. I got hot chocolate - not the kind I was expecting! Their hot chocolate, which is very popular, is so thick it's like they melted a dark chocolate candy bar and poured it into a cup! It was yummy but rich. I had to take a picture of the coins! Next to our hotel is a Burger King. It is also on a pedestrian only street and so, instead of a drive thru, they actually had a window to walk up and order! A walk-thru!
We got back on the double-decker bus in the evening and rode around Madrid. I was so impressed with all the buildings. I'm sure most of the ones we saw were all older than any that we have here in the United States. We also drove through a more modern section of Madrid but still the architecture was amazing. When we got back to the room we realized we should have made reservations for the place we wanted to go the next day - the place which I was hoping would be the highlight of the trip - The Alhambra. We were nervous that we might not get in but decided to drive down and take a chance anyways.

Day Three - found us wide awake at 5AM and wandering the streets of Madrid in the drizzling rain.None of the breakfast places even opened till 7:30. Finally we back to the room, got ready for the day and headed out for breakfast at the Hotel Europa. I tried tortilla (potatoe casserole) and had another shot at the hot chocolate. This time it was so thick it was like pudding! After breakfast we left the Puerto del Sol through the good ol' Metro and, after descending back down into the labyrinth of tunnels, popped back up again right in front of the car rental! Good job, honey! We rented our car and were off to Granada. The scenery was so different than anything I have ever seen before. Miles upon miles, hour after hour, of hills covered in olive trees! And every once in a while a little white town set on a hill would pop up into view. We passed through LaMancha and saw some windmills - made famous by "Don Quixote". It's kinda hard to get good pictures while driving! Finally we made it to Granada and headed straight for The Alhambra ticket office. We were so relieved, we got tickets for the very last slot of the day! It was only 3Pm so we toured around until we could get in. We stopped and had lunch at a pretty cafe. One thing we noticed - lots of feral cats. It didn't change in the cafe either! The family across from us ordered something the cats obviously liked. They were actually climbing up their chairs! My food came and the cats congregated around my chair - I realized I should not have ordered calamari!

The Alhambra - one of the most beautiful places on earth! Truly breathtaking. Every time I turned a corner there was something else to ooh and aah over. I love Arab culture and art and this Arab palace was the epitomy of everything beautifully Moorish! Oh to have been an Arab princess and live on the grounds of this magnificent palace during it's finest hours! The pictures will not do it justice. It was miles of walking through beautiful gardens and palaces, all amidst gorgeous views of the country.