wonderings wanderings

islamic key hole shaped doors inlaid with mozaic tiles and ancient painted walls guide us through the zigzagging paths up and down granadas hills. stunning white walls burn the blue skies and drain the blues of barcelona from our feet. four hours of wandering, our aussie walking tour guide uploading thousands of years of history into dimmed train travel brains. talk of harems, beautiful blonde women bathing stolen from the north, the sultans observing from above would throw an orange at the one they wanted to spend the night with.

fountains tinkling everywhere, cyprus trees standing tall, hidden gates opened to us to cool down in dark gardens where mixes of devout muslims once lazed in, until crazy spanish monarchs catholicized everyone, with the risk of being ´relaxed to god´if not. in 2005 the first mosque was built since granada was handed over 500 years ago.. the call of prayer is sung at sunset over the arabian incense shops, the hookah shops and the kebab bars. everything about this town is so buzzing with arabian culture.

tapas lunch in a paved square outside the old gate still hanging with the weights of thieves whose hands were lopped off hundreds of years ago. street art and buskers evading the cops by the lookout of the alhambra and deserty sierra nevada mountains. showers and drawn out siestas till 9pm, lying on crisp sheeted beds by cool tiled walls then to search out laura found on the roof terrace. bean bags , low seats, sangria and apple hookah pipes with the musky crescented moon glinting through the arches of sandy towers. we look over crumbling rooves , low lights and tinkles of laughter surrounded by aussie mates from all over the place. definitely making enough contacts back home, starting to wonder whether we travelled the wrong way..
delicious crab salad (free tapas with every drink wooo) scooped down with beers and sangria at a cosy wooden table on some unknown path to the east. kebabs full of deliciousness and chatter of future reincarnations with our melbourne compatriots.

hoping of one day having interesting tales like the old man living in a gypsy cave, his gold limited edition porsche parked in his garage cave and stories of india tied with his belt...miek