Highlights of Portugal & Spain

We were up with the birds this morning to catch our bus to Granada at 5:45 am and caught the sunrise en route. Andalusia, the Southern region of Spain, has the most olive groves, accounting for 80% of Spain’s total production and 93% of its land dedicated to olive cultivation. We travelled through the province of Jaen where we saw a continuance landscape of them. The Jean province holds the title of the World Capital of Olive Oil, boasting 66 million olive trees. We arrived in Granada at noon and after we checked on to our hotel Zuzanna took us to a local restaurant for a quick sandwich and a brief orientation walk around the area. Just one block from our hotel we passed the Isabel La Catolica Plaza where there is a monument depicting the exchange in 1942 when she gave Christopher Columbus the funds to outfit 3 boats to set sail to go East in hopes of discovering a sea passage to China. We then continued on to the Capilla Real Catedral and the Iglesia Del Sagrsrio and wandered through the nearby San Antonio food market and Zoco Nazari Artisan Market before returning to the hotel for a brief siesta. Granada has a relaxed vibe and is clean and easy to get around in. After a short rest we wandered through the historic quarter of Albaicin, enjoying it’s narrow lanes, white washed buildings and fantastic views of the back of the Alahambra. Oh, and we enjoyed an ice cream as it was another very hot day.Les mer