Gelati: 1, Wine: 0, Tapas: 0
Slept in this morning - what a surprise. Spent the rest of the morning having a leisurely breakfast before packing. There is no way for a taxi to get to the front door of my hotel in Seville but one of the receptionists rang for one and had me wait 5 minutes. When the time was up he escorted me (and my suitcase) to a nearby square where the taxi was supposed to be waiting. After 5 more minutes, and 2 more phone calls, it turned up. The hotel clearly uses a particular driver as two other taxis went by while we were waiting but weren't flagged down. The receptionist gave my driver an earful for keeping us (him rather I suspect) waiting so I got the drive to the station for free.
My train to Granada was a "commuter" service so it wasn't very fast and made a lot of stops. I had assumed there would be a snack trolley serving something horrible and overpriced on the train but there was only a Coke machine. Lunch, therefore, was 3 peppermint life savers. All I had on me that was edible.
My hotel here in Granada is yet another converted ancient building in the old part of town. My Granada taxi driver had never heard of it but was familiar with the bar next door so we got here eventually. Again, he couldn't drive me to the door but instead went the wrong way up a one way street to get me to within 10m of the place.
Once I got to the hotel I faced my first challenge. It turns out the owners of this hotel have another on the main square nearby. Reception here is often not staffed. Instead you need to either phone or walk over there to get assistance. I phoned as I wasn't sure where the other place was. I shudder to think what my phone bill is going to be like when I get home. On the plus side, the call was brief so I'm hoping it only cost $5 or so.
Again, this hotel has a central courtyard with the rooms arranged around it. This time the windows, at least on my room, are onto the street rather than the courtyard so I can get natural light along with privacy. Not a lot of natural light as the hotel is in a narrow lane with 2 to 3 storeys buildings all around. The decor here isn't quirky. Spartan is more like it. Still the location is perfect and the central courtyard very pretty and pleasant to sit in with a drink.
Afternoon tea was a gelati - orange and dulce de leche. Dinner, I have to confess, was a burger and chips and Coke. I was starving. I wanted something more substantial than tapas but couldn't possibly wait until 8pm or later for a dinner so I went to a fast food place - the Kabab King, not to be confused with their close rival Kebab Star.
Tomorrow I will be more cultured.
How long was the train ride to Granada?
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