Spain: Part 2

Leaving Morocco was a very trying experience. It was a six hour physical challenge to avoid getting ripped off, misled and waylaid. Everyone wanted a piece of the walking dollar signs before we left, but we showed them. We managed to get out a little weary but unscathed. The ferry trip back over the strait to Spain was a journey of luxury on a high speed ferry. Love Boat eat your heart out! Lets just say that we were glad to be back in Spain, the land of fixed prices, sanitary conditions, drinkable water and a language that one of us understands.

The beautiful city of Granada was our first stop in Spain. One of our favourite places so far, Granada charmed the pants off us (not literally, of course) with its winding old town alleyways, mountain views, beautiful buildings, friendly locals, flamenco dancers, gypsies and of course, the Alhambra which presides over the town. The Alhambra is an 8th century fortified town built on a mountain top above Granada. It´s a legacy of the Muslim invasion of Spain at that time. The main attraction is the stunning gardens and palaces that have been built over the last thousand years. We spent hours wandering around the stunning hand-crafted palaces and their courtyards. These guys knew how to do it in style. We want one!



With sad faces, we left for Alicante: One of our only beach stops in our ´summer´ trip. We spent the day soaking up the sun and frolicking in the warm Mediterranean Sea with the 20,000 other tourists we shared the small beach with. We were like seals on a rock (more like walruses in bikinis - we´ll spare you the details). But fun was had by all.


We are now in Valencia, where we have met up with Andrea´s cousin Alvaro. After about 10 years of not having seen each other, it has been great to catch up and hang out. Valencia is a funky town with a great night life and loads of young people enjoy it every night of the week. Last night, we salsa´ed the night away!
The Spanish lifestyle is mind boggling. We don´t know how they do it! Everyone (from kids in nappies to oldies) parties every night til about 2 am. They work early the next day, have a nap in the arvo, go back to work, and then party, party, party. It´s a great lifestyle.


This afternoon we head to Barcelona. See you there.

Chess championship results update:
Dennis: 0 (Punishment: 50 situps or pushups a day until scores are even)
Andea: 1
Stalemate: 1

Happy Belated Birthday to Shaun for his 18th. Hope you had a great day, even though we know you were under the weather. You´re a man now, start acting like one ;) Hope the shoulder gets better soon.