Granada

 Early the next morning Edie walked me to the train station for my trip to Granada. I was on the fast AVE train. I found the train to be super clean, right on time, very fast and a wonderful experience. The train stopped in a few cities and took about 6 hours to get to Granada. 

A taxi took me to my hotel, which was located right on one end of one of the main streets of the city. I had a lovely room in the modern wing of the Hospes Palacio de los Patos, with a small sitting area, separate toilet room, sink and bath/shower, and free cookies.

After settling in the room, I decided to take a small stroll and hopefully end up at my restaurant reservation at El Trillo, located in the hills of the Albaicin, or the Arab quarter. It was super easy to walk up the main street which was lined with shops of all kinds to the main Plaza, leading to a very narrow shopping street on the banks of the river. This part of the street is barely wide enough for a car and pedestrians had to press themselves against the buildings when a car drove by. 

The Alhambra looms over this part of the city on one side of the river bank. On the other is the Albaicin, through narrow roads and twisty alleys and stairs. Luckily for me, Google Navigation worked really well for walking directions. I was able to follow it right up to the restaurant. However I got there early. I decided to just sit and wait. I didn't realize I was steps away from the St Nicolas church and could've gone there for a great view of Alhambra.

When the restaurant did open, there is a lower garden terrace but I was taken up to the deck with the view of Alhambra. 

This was not the view from my table, I was slightly farther back. Since it was so hot, I started with a cold soup called salmorejo. I loved it! It consisted of tomato and bread blended. The restaurant served it with edible flowers and avocado, although traditionally it's served with hard boiled egg and a drizzle of olive oil. My second course was steak with foie gras and poached pears. I got about halfway into the dish when I suddenly felt so full. The dreaded stomach jet lag had struck. It was easier to ignore when I was mostly eating tapas for dinner but with a full plated meal, it was hard and from then on out, I had a hard time eating a lot for dinner. 

After dinner, I took a nice stroll back through town, past the plaza which now had several older couples dancing to taped music, past the evening crowds to my hotel for a nice shower and relaxing evening.