10

(From Mar 21st)
10

Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/b0xwncp3i3zha5g/AAAdNWNtdNiy8piF7qogWS11a?dl=0

Bought a really cheap pair of knock-off "apple" headphones from a vending machine. They're about what you'd expect from a bus centre in Madrid, but they do work. And they've got a volume adjuster. My ones I brought along are starting to go very quiet in the right ear, which was starting to get a bit annoying. So now at least I'll have the option of good headphones or equal sound. Just as I'm listening now with the cheap ones, there are all of these new sounds coming from the right; stuff that only plays on one speaker, guitar riffs and such. The bass is terrible though, so I just have to embrace the fact that I'm sitting on the ground of a crowded grimy bus station surrounded by bags and listening to tinny canned music. There is a certain aesthetic to it; that road-trip feeling that Supernatural tries to embrace. It's not quite the same though, because we are in Europe.

We're at a truck stop after about 2, 1/2 hours, I restocked on dried beans and nuts. There's a stray kitten here, really dirty and skinny and very small. It's black and white. Some people are feeding it ham and bread.

This little town we're in is very typically Spanish pueblo: whitewashed buildings, half-conical roof slating, stray cats. Warm and dry. There's one hotel and a gas station and this truck stop, plus a few houses and a post office. That's it.

2 ish more hours and we'll be in Granada.

I just realized, the biggest reason that the landscape looks so different is that there are no conifers. There are hills and rocks and rivers; but whereas in BC there are fir trees and forests everywhere, the hills here have no undergrowth at all and are covered in green grass and short leafy trees, interspersed with broken down ruins of brick and concrete buildings (seriously, these are everywhere). It's so weird to see to the horizon and just see these tame bunches of trees over lush green grass. No bushes or fallen logs or moss or darkness. Everything is bright and it looks artificial at first glance after being used to the rainforests of BC… but flip it around and you can see why the people from Europe were so awed by the landscape of the west coast.

Apparently we're now driving through an area that was used to film a lot of old western movies more cheaply than in America. It's easy to see why; the hills here have dry red soil and scrubby low bushes. Even the buildings look like an old western town; ramshackle and bare metal signs and ruins and abandoned buildings.

Now we're on another bus, a city bus, in Granada. Then another bus via transfer, then where we're staying. Not sure what to expect.

In an alleyway in Granada, waiting for Mr Henderson to check us in to the hostel. We have dinner and flamenco show happening this evening, and a chance to explore the amazing skinny streets and shops of Granada. I officially love the south of Spain. There are two orange trees right here. And beautiful buildings. And warm climate, and water fountains.

Our hostel is somewhere in this 3-D maze of a city, next to a small shopping street. We'll be five to a room, which is more like the hostel I pictured. It's a nice place, filled with English speakers and backpacker-types. There's a communal kitchen, but I don't think we'll really be using it.

The shopping streets here are Arabian-style (this whole place has a very Gypsy/Arabian influence- it's surreal and I love it. I feel like I'm in a storybook). There are so many amazing fabrics and designs and colours and vendors. Everything is fairly priced, as well. And you can bargain with the vendors, they're really nice.

We went to a place called El Templo del Flamenco. Wow it was the most amazing experience. The location is a one hundred year old cave dug into the side of a hill, painted and upholstered to be very cozy and homey. It's in an Arabian style,  with statues and fountains and cloth on the ceiling. The food was, without exaggeration, the best meal I have had in my life. It started with a salad; lettuce, more greens, tomatoes, tuna, pine nuts (?), goat cheese feta, and a sweet balsamic dressing that was just perfect. Best salad ever. Next were eggs (cooked to just the right amount, over easy), ham (really good quality Spanish ham), and potatoes (boiled and fried in olive oil, mixed with a bit of onions, leeks, and garlic, salted to perfection). At this point I thought it couldn't get any better, and we were in ecstasy at our table with amazing food (seriously it was so good. Words can't describe). Next was the best pork ever. I don't know how they cooked it, but it was so good. There was a subtle sauce on the small round soft pieces of tender meat that made them delicious. Again, wow. Then we got some deep fried zucchini and again, incredible. Succulent and juicy and sweet and crunchy and AMAZING. Then came the dancing. The flamenco dancing was 2 hours long and the most intense performance I have ever seen. There was a guitarist, two singers, three female dancers, and one male dancer. The whole thing is predominantly improvised, and they only have a vague plan before they start. But everyone is so talented that you can't tell. The dancers dance from their heart and soul, and their faces are intense and full of anguish or pain. The people who aren't on stage at the time are constantly part of the performance, because they are clapping and stomping and telling and singing and participating fully in the experience. Speaking not clapping: they are all expert clappers. They can clap super fast rhythms between them, back and forth, and manage to stay in time and maintain intensity. And the beat is constantly going, complemented by the taps and stomps and clicks of the dancer's shoes. Like step dance or Irish dance on steroids, with ten times the emotion and passion. Everyone was incredible at what they did, and Mr Henderson said afterwards that this really was the real deal and not some tourist trap. And you could tell. The guitar guy did a piece on his own at one point, completely improvised, and it was the best guitar music I have ever heard. His fingers were flying over the strings. The dancers had strong feet that would sometimes lead, sometimes follow the beat. It was all spur-of-the-moment. There were rhythms that were started by one person and passed through the group from the guitarist to the dancer to the singer, and then they would be part of the song and the beat would continue. I'll try to post some videos that I took when I have better wifi, but I have to say they will not do justice AT ALL to the experience in person. The flan we all got for dessert was mostly forgotten as we all sat mesmerized by the sight in front of us. I just could not believe I was in Granada, in a cozy cave, watching the cultural phenomenon of Roma in the amazing flamenco in front of me. Tonight at El Templo de Flamenco was the best time I have ever had at an eating establishment.

Tomorrow we are up bright and early at seven to see and visit the stronghold where the Muslims made their last stand against the Christians after 700 years of rule. We saw it tonight briefly at a viewpoint, and it looks like a very solid sand-coloured stone castle/palace that is very large.