Alhambra and tapas

The alarm went at 5.30am (eeek!). I was up and out the door in the pitch black at 6.05am. I walked to Pension Britz in the surprisingly cold wind and dropped my bag off, a bit alarmed that they didn’t have my name against a room, and set off up the hill to the Alhambra. Lucky I was following some other people, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have known where to go. I got there just after 6.30, and there were already lots of people there, but I was still in the early part of the queue under the roof. After a while I ate something. I made two British friends, who had friends in the credit card queue, and abandoned me when their friends got their respective tickets before them. I got sore legs, and rather annoyed by about 9am, especially when it turned out there was only one person selling tickets at the window. I got one for the afternoon (ie after 2pm), then needed a sit-down and ate the rest of my breakfast. I wandered back down the hill, getting rather lost, but somehow coming out at Hostal Costa Azul on Calle Rosario. Back at Pension Britz, I checked in, rested for a bit, then went out to the internet cafe (65c for an hour! So cheap!), couldn’t decide on accommodation in Sevilla, then got some lunch and gelato. I left at 2pm, again bound for the Alhambra.

The Generalife and its gardens were wonderful, Carlos V’s palace was awe-inspiring. The Alcazabar was interesting, but the Nasrine Palaces were a little unexciting, especially after the fuss about going in at a certain time. Oh well, was still worth €10, but perhaps not worth the four and a half hours of queuing! I left just after 5pm, and took the right way down the hill this time. I got some gelato and rested. I found the voicemail from Emma about the Tribal CTAD interview, rang Cambridge to negotiate a different day and ask to have the details sent, and texted Jules and Jono. Jules said he thought I’d get the job so therefore I should celebrate that night.

I had a shower and headed out at about 9.15, back to Bodegas Casteñeda. Being a bit earlier, I thought there might be fewer people there, but I was wrong. Being Friday night it was full of locals. I was further up the bar this time, and so had a different guy serving me. The other one gave me a smile though. I ordered a sangria, which was the red drink in the tall glasses I’d been wondering about, and got my entry level tapas. When that was finished, I ordered a medium plate of cheese and pate, which came with a big basket of bread. It was very nice, though I didn’t like one of the cheeses. A guy next to me helped me find my knife, and had some jokes with the guy behind the bar. It was very merry. As I went to order another sangria, I bumped someone else’s plate of tapas. The guy behind the bar had a joke about that. He asked me whether I wanted some more bread, and I said no. I watched the world go by – it’s fascinating to see all the bar guys running around so professionally. I finished my drink, then asked for the bill. It was €12.10. I tipped the guy €1 as he was very good. I headed back to the Pension, and spoke to Mum for 37 minutes! I went to bed at about 11.30, waking up in a sweat. I opened the window for a bit, had a big drink of water, then slept OK.