Alhambra

After a very successful morning (those of you over 60 will know what I mean) that involved two cups of strong coffee followed by an unforgettable experience with the toilet in our hotel room that has a touchpad control panel with settings that include “oscillate,” “pulse,” “rear clean,” “front clean,” and “dryer” among others . . . 

. . . we headed the Captain Candy store to buy a bag full of life-sized solid sugar bananas like these. 

Just kidding, Captain Candy was closed, so we headed up to the Alhambra, a prime example of Iberian infrastructural reappropriation and the main reason people visit Granada.

And I mean “up” literally. This path is the handicapped-accessible way to the Alhambra. Ironically, if you are in a wheelchair, there is no way you should get anywhere near this roughly 45-degree incline unless you want to end up needing more than a wheelchair.

Anyway, almost 1,000 years ago some cities in southern Spain had running water, streetlights, wide avenues and world-class academic scholarship in math, science and medicine. Then the Catholic Kings (the ones who also brought us, literally, Christopher Columbus), expelled the Muslims and Jews, who had been responsible for all that success.

One of the things left behind by the Caliph in his rush to get out of the country was the Alhambra, an enormous, elegant, palatial complex that still exists (or at least was available to be restored in the early 20th century). We spent much of the day there wandering the grounds and imagining what it would be like to be Muhamed Al-Ahmar, the guy who hired the original architect and contractors back in 1238.

Tomorrow we’re back on the train to head to northern Spain to meet up with a friend because, you know, we have friends in Spain. No big deal.