How Great Is Granada?

How Great is Granada?  Firstly, Granada was great because there was no rain.  Days of rain dampen one's spirit (pun intended) and it is hard to feel the enthusiasm of a new and exciting place when you are cold, wet and really have no place to go because all the sites to see are outside.  So..no rain gave us (me) a chance to "dry out" the attitude and try again.  Secondly, (and really most importantly) Granada was fanstastic because it is SO different from the rest of Spain.  The Moorish influence is everywhere and without trying one can feel transported to the north of Africa just by walking down the street.  My personal favourite was the narrow street market of the Albaycin with its shops and shops of brightly coloured glassware, ceramic tiles, colourfully beaded scarves and more.  (Anyone for a belly dancing outfit?)  Man I wish I didn't have to carry a backpack:(

Soaking Up Seville

"It's raining again...oh no, it's raining again..."  So many marvelous mosiacs to see but it was off to IKEA to try and stay dry AND HAPPY!   What else are you going to do when your socks and shoes are soaking wet two days in a row?  When it wasn't raining, Matthew and I found another churro stand (but they weren't nearly as good as the ones we ate in Madrid).  Between rain showers, we soaked up (pun intended) as much of Sevilla as we could and when we were tired we read books beneath beautiful mosiacs in Plaza Espana.  (No, Matthew is NOT being tortured, he's reading his book using the iPad and the sun was too bright...or maybe he was playing Angry Birds, hmmm?)  Oh, by the way, did you know that the hairdryer is a multpurposeful tool?  It can be used to dry out little boy's shoes when they have stepped in one too many puddles!  We'll be back one day and just maybe we'll have more sun. 

Lounging in Lagos

Having failed in our attempts to rest while in Provence, we took every opportunity to do that in Lagos, Portugal.  And...we were very successful.  (It didn't hurt that it was cool and rainy most days that we were there!)  So...highlights of the week include: reading, crossword puzzles, reading, getting a pedicure, hunting for shells and interesting stones, reading, visiting with our new friends, Lydia & Rick (people from Winnipeg that were staying at the same accomodation), and reading.  I say we covered the resting part pretty well.  (And when Momma's happy, everybody's happy:)