A Slice of Life
Day 9 (Continued)
In the heart of the Alhambra is the Fuente de los Leones (Fountain of the Lions) which is the centerpiece of the Patio de los Leones (Court of the Lions). This part of the fortress was built during the reign of Muhammed V in the 14th century and is amazingly beautiful. The workmanship and the artwork are breathtaking.
Photo Credit: https://makespain.com/listing/courtoflions/alhambra/granada/
The views of the city of Granada, with the mountains in the background, from the various locations in the Alhambra were amazing and gave a feeling of grandiosity to the viewer. You can get an example of what I mean from the picture below, taken from a postcard I picked up during the tour.
Photo Credit: https://www.alhambra.org/en/
We were told that the flag of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella was first raised over the Torro de la Vela (watch tower), there in the Alhambra, in early 1492 AD as a symbol of the Spanish conquest of Granada. This significant time in history was the turning point for the Islamic world, as the expulsion of all Moors by the Catholic Monarchs from what had become Spanish territory, from that date forth, marked the end of the Islamic rule.
Photo Credit: https://granadainfo.com/torrodelaveka/alhambra/
After that delightful tour of the Alhambra, as we were on our way to the restaurant for lunch, our attention was drawn to the Zambra María la Canastera, which is located in the picturesque Sacromonte District of Granada. This famously unique hideaway has long featured traditional flamenco dancing and music performed in a tiny cavern adorned with memorabilia. When I looked them up on the internet – Surprise! They all look older. How can that be? I can’t believe it’s been 20 years since we were there, and the picture was taken for this postcard.
Photo Credit: https://zambramaríalacanastera.com
We stopped for lunch at a very nice ‘approved’ café there in Granada, that served us a wonderful traditional Spanish meal, while we were entertained by some local musicians playing soft guitar music in the background. That was very pleasant.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
After lunch our tour continued as the tour bus took us around the city of Granada with our Program Director explaining various points of interest, such as Mirador de Los Carvajales, Albayzin, Sacromonte, Paseo de los Tristes, and Mirador de San Nicolas.
Photo Credit: https://www.odysseytraveller.com/articles/granada-spain/
Our bus trip took us on a different route for our return trip back to Torremolinos. This allowed us to view another interesting section of the Andalusia countryside while the many points of interest were explained to us by our Program Director. Some names of the more interesting towns we passed thru were Churriana de la Vega, Parque de las Ciencias, Ogijares, and Velez de Benauadalla. As before there were luxury hotel complexes and the beautiful Villa Loma Linda.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
As the hiway turned west along the shore of the Mediterranean, our Program Director had us stop near the town of Nerja for a quick tour of the caves of Nerja (Fundación Cueva de Nerja). The caverns are said to have been re-discovered in 1959 and have become a major tourist attraction. We were told that concerts are regularly held in one of the many chambers, which forms a natural amphitheater.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
Some of the caverns stretch to the sea and the view of the Mediterranean from inside the caverns can be breathtaking. I don’t remember if we had to pay this young boy to pose for this photo, but I think it made for a great picture, don’t you.
After that amazing tour of the Caves of Nerja we passed thru Torrox with its Faro Torrox (lighthouse), Benagalbon with its 16th century church, and Malaga with its famous bullring, before finally arriving in Torremolinos and the Bajondillo in time for a short rest before it was time for dinner. DiVoran was still feeling poorly, and I brought her a bowl of chicken soup in hopes it would make her feel better.
Photo Credit: https://notaboutthemiles.com/malaga-spain/
—– To Be Continued—–
Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 64 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing. He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville. Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.
One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is: John 10:10
Old Things R New 
That’s a beautiful piece in every way.
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