Southern Spain - Nov 25, 2013

On Tuesday the Nov 12^th Angie and I caught the Ryan Air flight from Pisa to visit our friend Nancy who had just moved to Almunecar Spain.  

We met Nancy earlier this year when both she and we were living in Florence, and she graciously invited us to come be her first house guests in new apartment overlooking the Mediterranean coast.

Our Ryan Air flight required us landing in Seville, picking up a rental car and driving 3+ hours to Almunecar.  Finding her apartment in the dark proved to be a bit of an adventure, but it was well worth it to see her again!  And the next morning our wake-up call of the sun rising over the Mediterranean Sea was awe inspiring!

Nov-13 Our first day we elected for an excursion to the Cueva de Nerja, the Caves of Nerja.  This labyrinth of beautiful cave chambers is well organized and routed, and is truly amazing to behold.  Unfortunately the pictures simply don’t do justice to how remarkable this place is.

Later in the afternoon we took a drive up the coast exploring new sights that ended at the lighthouse.

That evening we went to an excellent, inexpensive restaurant that featured Flamenco dancing.  

The next day we drove the hour up over the Sierra Nevada mountain range in southern Spain and into the city of Granada. There are just SO many fascinating sights to see in the historic old city of Granada, but today our focus was the ancient Moorish palace of the Alhambra. 

 Originally built in the mid-11th century, Alhambra was taken over and rebuilt into an elaborate royal palace by Sultan Yusaf in 1333.  It represents the pinnacle of ruling power and authority that the Islamic Moors exerted over the northern African continent and in southern Europe, particularly Spain, during this time.

Nov 15 – Our return to Granada gave us opportunity to explore the city center, take in the flavor of the town, and most importantly see the Catedral de Granada, the stupendous cathedral of Granada.

The foundation of this indescribable

church was laid in 1518; it was completed 181 years later.

It was great to see Nancy again, and although our visit was brief we have already discussed the three of us getting together again the next time she is Stateside from all her world traveling.  

It was also great so see what a wonderful, new corner of the world she has found for herself.  Almunecar’s palate is the beautiful country side that surrounds it.  But the truth is the sun doesn't always shine in Almunecar; 

sometimes it’s only double rainbows.