Madrid to Granada...

Groggy after the overnight flight to Madrid, we picked up our luggage and Fiat 500 rental car, and headed south to Granada.  It was a long drive... four-and-a-half hours...so we knew we would need to stop a couple of times.  Around lunch time we spied an interesting place called Casa Pepe for our first stop.  Refreshed after a plate of Serrano ham, local Manchego cheese, coffee and Coke Zero, we were back on our way again...
 
                                                                               

Casa Pepe...

We drove on to Granada and checked into our hotel... Santa Isabel la Real in Albaicin, the old Moorish quarter of Granada.  The hotel is next to a Monastary, and is served by the very handy mini bus C32, which we used every day to take us downtown and to the Alhambra....

                                                             

Our room is in the middle with the tall doors and railing...

                                                             

The courtyard in the hotel... open to the sky above...

The typically Moorish courtyard...

                                                           

View from our window...

                                                       

Monastary next door...

                                                                   

The handy mini bus C32, snaking through the narrow cobbled lanes...

After settling in at the hotel, we walked around the Albaicin quarter, taking in the sights.  One of the most popular is Mirador de San Nicolas, a small plaza that has an amazing view of the Alhambra.  This small plaza is a gathering place for both tourists and hippies, an interesting mix....

                                               

We took a photo of the Alhambra, with snow-capped mountains in the background, then went for a drink.  Just a few steps from the Mirador de San Nicolas we found Bar Kiki, which had live Flamenco music!  A beer and a wine...less than 5 euros.

After "refreshments", we strolled the neighborhood.  It was ancient, quiet, and beautiful....

Porta Nuova (New Entrance), in the old wall...

We had dinner outdoors at Bar Aixa in Plaza Larga.  Chris had huevos rotos (broken eggs), Joe had alpujarreno (a local specialty, see photo)....

Alpujarreno... potatoes, two different sausages, thin-sliced pork, fried eggs, manchego cheese, jamon...

A happy girl...

                                                                               

                                           
After dinner we circled back to snap a photo of the Alhambra after dark.  An amazing sight, and a great first day in Granada.....

Click on any photo to enlarge....