Days Nine and Ten: Málaga and Grenada

Yesterday morning we flew to Málaga from Ireland at eight oćlock. I wasn't a bad trip at all, and we managed to get to the airport early enough to have a leisurely morning. We arrived in Málaga. directions in hand. However, the directions provided by the hostel were the worst directions of all time. Really. We think they were written, then put through an online translator, but they also failed to include the words "left," "right," or any street names. We wandered around for a good hour and a half, trying to solicit directions in broken Spanish. We finally made it there, but not without some strife.

However, Málaga is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. When you take the bus into town, the first thing you see is the ruins of a Roman theatre, surrounded by huge, tropical gardens. The whole square is full of palm trees and birds of paradise and tons of different, colorful flowers. Later, after we found our hostel, we bought a slice of watermelon from a vendor and had a picnic in the ruins. We even got to use our travel sporks!

Our hostel, Picasso's corner, turned out to be a good experience as well. It was almost like a commune. We had paella there for dinner, then everyone sat downstairs and talked, or played card games. We met a bunch of people, notably a guy from Italy, who was quite friendly, if a bit old fashioned, and two girls from Canada. They were traveling together through Spain. They had met as Girl Guides (or Scouts, in the states) and were very... shy. Not exactly shy, but very easily frightened. We aren't that wild, but they seemed appalled at our salty language, and our general manner. In response to the Flamenco show, they just said that the music was really loud.

That night, at around twelve thirty, there was a Flamenco show right down the street, something free and totally local. It was absolutely AMAZING. There were two dancers, a man and a woman, and one older woman singing. It was a tiny little place, so we, Erika, the two girls, and I, ended up just leaning against a wall in the back, watching. It was really a great experience. I'd never heard REAL Flamenco music before. It is intensely emotional, almost like singing and crying at once. The dancers took turns, whirling and tapping. It is really a SHARP dance, full of angles and defined poses. It was really something to see.

The next day we caught a train to Granada, where we currently reside. We were supposed to catch a night train to Barcelona tonight, but we had a few problems today. Mainly what we saw today was the inside of a bus, as we rode around and around looking for the train station. However, right now we are in the Maktüb Hostel, just a few blocks from the Alhambra. It's wonderful, with Moroccan style decorations and a lovely terrace, where we sat and talked to the people who run the place: Natalia, Becka, and Alex. They made vegan pesto pizza for dinner, and so far it's been basically like staying in their home. Really, it seems like a good thing we were unable to book a night train to Barcelona, otherwise we would have left the city without seeing ANYTHING, and without getting to stay in such a great place. We have all day in the city tomorrow, after which we will be taking the night train to Barcelona as planned, just a day later.

Also, it is a possibility that the birds we saw flying overhead in Málaga were WILD PARROTS. All I can say is: !!!!!