The train that’s a bus

Sometimes, it’s all about the transportation.  We went to the Atocha train station to leave Madrid for Granada, the first leg by train and the second by bus.  The first part was easy, assigned seats, a quiet train, and an arid, bleak landscape passing by. We dutifully got off at Antequera to catch the bus to Granada, but were stopped by the train people.  They explained that for some reason we didn’t catch we would have to get back on the train, go to Malaga, about twenty minutes on, and get the bus to Granada there. We were to look out for them at the head of the train in Malaga.

Well, they were strolling along the platform without us when we arrived and raced to catch up.  The man said, “follow the chicas” and we zipped along behind a young couple and a young woman, in and out, over streets, through buildings until we came to the bus station.  Bought our tickets and eventually boarded a comfortable bus for the 90 minute trip to Granada.

But our adventures were not yet over, because the cab we took ripped us off.  He sped off to our hotel, then deliberately confused Alison about the change he owed her.  With any luck, he will come to a bad end! I’m glad to say that this was the only bad incident we had in two weeks.

We trundled up the cobbled pedestrian street to our hotel, Casa del Capitel Nazari, described on their website as “an ancient Renaissance palace built in 1503 and located in the picturesque area of the Albaicin, in front of the Alhambra in Granada and in the city centre, close to the cathedral. It is a palace with lintels and Tuscan columns, Corinth capitals, Arabic chromium-plated beams; Renaissance decorated wooden ceiling and two Roman columns.”  All true, and was very reminiscent of Morocco:  little courtyards, wooden ceilings, tiled floors, and all. We have a large room with a mini-kitchen and a dining room table, very comfortable.  We walked down to the Plaza Nueva, a busy square with several restaurants, and had a strange dinner, large platters of fried spaghetti sprinkled with a few shrimps, and lots of pork and potatoes. And so to bed.