Over 1000 K on one tank

I thought That was really impressive. We were not particularly breaking any laws of the road. The drive from Mallaga to Granada was my first time driving on the Continent. Everything went really well till the first roundabout when i realised i was looking in the wrong direction. Rectified the ensuing problems by stamping on the brake pedal really hard and skidding to a halt. After that everything went very well I thought. We had 2 nights in Granada. The first night we took the tourist trip around town finishing with the Gypsy Flamenco show that people(can't remember who) said was a touristy rip off. It was fun and people enjoyed it...... We were tourists. The next day was spent walking round Granada in the morning and the Alhambra in the afternoon. That works out at around 7 hours walking. It is a bit of a theme i know but Granada is also a bit of a hike especially if your hotel is up by the Alhambra as the pictures will show. At the bottom the hill the part of the town we had time to explore turned out to be a warren of shops. Passageways leading to squares to more shops. all very densely packed.
So there we have the view down the hill and a night view of the Alhambra from the tourist trip viewpoint.I like this one.
There is so much I could say about the Alhambra and many pictures I could post, but really it is a has to be seen place.
Next day first thing it was off we go to Cordoba.... and Claire's turn to drive. I only had to shut my eyes and scream once and then only to catch her attention which was wholly caught up in a gps tangle of parallel roads and unlisted junctions. Shortly after this the gps stopped talking to us altogether. Moody. But that was on the road to Valencia. Getting ahead of myself.
When we arrived in Cordoba as when we arrived in Granada the gps had us going round and round. Then round and round. When this happens It seems to be the machine code for park. Either that or the machine is as lost as you. In Cordoba it meant park here..... beside the river where you will incur no parking costs. So the begging parking attendant told us before making off with all my change. It was worth it.
more l8r.
Cordoba old town is a maze of narrow streets with the unusual mix of small shops that you can only find beyond the Mall. It is a town of Patios. Small enclosed squares. Artisan shops and the Cathedral/Mosque. Even on a day of temperatures topping 30degC, the interior of the Mosque remained beautifully cool. Ate some very different regional dishes.
4 pics of the Mosque /Cathedral. It is enormous. The red and white patterns in the arches are created by red brick and white stone....... However when it was extended some time in the very distant past the price of materials had risen to the point that instead of brick, red paint was used. Even the mortar lines between the bricks were painted in.
You can see the difference in presentation between the Christian and Muslim very clearly.

After Cordoba we had a 6 or more hour drive to Valencia. So we set off very early. It probably took us longer to get the otro camina en el habitacion than we spent in the room. Thankfully the car was still there where we left it the previous day. The broken glass belonged to another car. Set the controls(gps) for Valencia(or the heart of the sun) and off we went. Somewhere along the road the gps fell out with us altogether. after many announced roundabouts and junctions and many announced that never appeared, at some point in the mountains with deep gorges, tunnels and mad steep and twisty roads it just shut down and refused to turn on again. It did turn on again when we left Valencia and was extremely useful in the race to the airport. But that was much later... A whole weekend away.
By some chance of good fortune the road we found ourselves driving along took us straight to the hostel. and by some chance of crossed wires we eventually parked the car in a car park just across the road from the hostel. It was about now I realised the wires were well crossed as Claire thought we were not far from the restaurant we were supposed to meet Steve and Dan. We were a couple of miles away I suppose. I thought that was pretty good. Initially Claire was not so impressed. That evening was one of tapas and good wine. Finishing up in the Poetry bar. We finished up in the same place the next night after the football... Valencia beat real Madrid 3-1. There was dancing in the street and that was just us... The Valencianos were letting off the fireworks. The girls bought roses for the guys and we all staggered to our own places at a reasonable hour.





So there you go. All that was left to do was say our good byes. It was a really lovely weekend. On the Monday I went for a paddle in the med after wine n tapas in a very expensive place that we had remembered from another time. Well, remembered the quality not the cost. Claire basked under a beach brolly and our master under went ritual cleansing by way of total submersion.
The last act was the meal in Pepica's. Great food fabulous wine(for a house wine). A must do. sitting getting foo' with a view out over the beach and then on to the horizon over the breaking sea. By now it was very clear that Claire was driving us to alicanted and i would be amusing her with songs, stories and snores.
We were running late.... The gps had started talking to us again. It was time to drop dan back at the hostel and hit the road. Which we did with alacrity. we took the coast toll road. The scenery along this road is wonderful. An area to be explored inland. Everyone visits the coast but the inland scenery and the light make it a wonderland. We had the foot to the floor. We hit empty on the tank. We still had a bit to go and did not know if the gps was wandering or not. In a fit of bursting bladders and high anxiety we arrived, on time and ready to go home.
For me It was one the best times I can remember.