Day 13 - Day 19: Breaking south for the HOT HOT weather

So alot has happened since the last entry. Sorry for the lack of posting but we have been on the move. We left san sebastion on an overnight train to madrid. Our hotel in madrid was right on the plaza mayor(th emain aquare) and it was 100 degrees that say. Partying went on way into the night and we had a birds eye view from our balcony. No ac made us keep the doors open all night so the breeze could blow in. Spainiards start the party later than NYers.

Earlier that day we saw the el grecos and more notably the Bosch paintings at the Prado museum. Bosch was simply amazing. I could have staired at them all day. For a 14th century painter incorporating a nuns hat on a pig is truely surreal.

The next day we were on to Malaga, via cordoba and bobosilla. The train was much less posh than the french trains. And slower. We arrived in Malaga, the hub coastal town of the spanish riviera, and took a cab up to our hotel. A 9th century parador that looks out over the city an dthe mediterranean. Behind us on the hill was a fotress used to defend teh city in the 10th century.

In the morning we headed for the beach, sucking up as much sun as we could before siesta. At siesta we headed for a beach cafe where we had some fresh paella and watched them roast fish right on the beach. a few cerveza and lemons later and we were back in the sun. We closed the day with a spontanious fireworks show that startes at 12am off our balcony.

Day 15- off again, this time by bus, 2 hours east to granda. Here is where we stayed at our last parador of the trip. Paradors are government run hotels that used to be forts, castles or monestaries. Touring spain by tracking ans staying at the paradors would be an excellent trip. This was teh cream of the crop parador. Set on a hill within a wall, teh alhambra. our parador was an old monestary that was converted from an Islamic castle during the spanish inquisition. Next to the parador was the old palace of the islamic leader laster taken over by ferdinand. The palace was decorated with such intricate detail. omly pictures can begin to explain. (soon for pics, we promise). The alhambra extends into magnificent gardens and old mosques.
After the exploration we headed down the hill for dome kebabs and shwarmas.

Day 16- On teh bus again. This time up into the sierra nevada mountains to a series of white house towns built into the mountain side.

We have been here for 3 days and are leaving today. The town are the gateway to the high peaks of the sierras. They are also connected with a series of very challenging trails. In the last 2 days we have taken 2 hikes through the mountains to different towns. each hike has its highlights. Its amazing that youy can hike for 2 hours in seeming isolation, and wind up in a restaurant for lunch. Granted the restaurant has only 2 peiople in it and nothing is even cookling until you ask for it(so thats pretty much still isolation). the towns seem 3rd (old) world , but are quite modern. Well, sort of. There is a main roas cut thrpough the mountain but beyond that the roads are not for cars. The towns extend down into the valleys, with the buildings hanginig on for dear life. Water runs through the towns through various pipes, troughs and sometimes the middle of the road. So far this is one of our favorite places. Last night fog rolled in and produced the most incredible scene. It sat in the valley and rolled over the mountain like a blanket. We ventures up to the next town for dinner and got stuck in a thunderstorm. Dashing into the nearest shelter we found ourselves in a makeshift restaurant-someones home. We were the only patrons because of the storm. No menu, just 2 options for each course spoken to us in spanish. We choose blindly and has the most delicious dinner yet complete with vino, caffe, and a cordual. That´s the stuff you CAN´T plan.

Tonight we get on a 12 hour train to Barcelona. Talk to youz soon. Adios!