Granada

When we first decided to go to Spain, our biggest decision was which part to visit. As I mentioned earlier, I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Spain and had a clear picture in my head as to what I would find in this romantic country. As we were looking at pictures of the big cities of Spain, I just didn't find what I had expected. So Jim googled Granada...and I started squealing with delight! The deed was done...we were going to southern Spain and would definitely be visiting Granada.

Our first stop in Granada was a city on a hill next to the Alhambra (a Moorish palace in Granada) called Albaicin. We had heard it was a cute Spanish town with a beautiful view and delicious food. After winding through a million narrow curvy streets and walking up at least a billion sets of stairs we were ready to explore.

The day was perfectly warm and the sky was gorgeously blue. At the top of the hill we found a flawless view of the Alhambra with the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains in the background. There was a man playing Spanish music on the square and Jim and I took a second to drink in our incredible surroundings (OK, and maybe we put on a show for everyone by dancing to the music!)

We met a nice French couple who graciously took our picture. I love having a husband who speaks so many languages! On another day in our trip we met a Ukrainian waitress in a restaurant and Jim ordered our Spanish food all in Russian. How multi-cultural is that? Oh and PS--Talmage picked our one and only family picture to pick his nose. Thanks dude!

For lunch we found a small little place in the Albaicin to eat. I am a firm believer that to understand the culture and to get the feel of a city you need to eat at a hole-in-the-wall where they don't speak english (or have english menus for that matter!) So we did...and let me tell you that tradition hasn't let me down yet!

We ate paella, a delicious soupy rice with seafood, chicken and vegetables. When the waitress first brought out the grub, I was positive we wouldn't be able to finish it...

...but it was so delicious we just couldn't resist. I'm pretty sure we were licking our fingers and the pan trying to eat every last piece of rice. Paella is definitely on my list of things I need to learn to make. And the sooner the better.

While searching for our car, we found a small outdoor market which was way to good to turn down. I LOVE markets and we try to find one whenever we travel. We were so lucky to run into this little beauty.

The Alhambra itself was remarkable. It was built in the mid 1300's and was shockingly intricate. As I walked through the Palace, the gardens and the old Alcazaba I was so impressed by the time and effort these people put in to making it gorgeous. Every last bit of ceiling and wall space is filled with prayers and murals.

This was written all over the Palace and simply says God is good. And I 100% agree.

It was a really hot day (believe me, we weren't complaining) so Mr. T cooled himself off in any water source he could get his hands on. It's funny because holy water and the gutters were equally refreshing and wonderful in his book. I love kids!

We visited the Roman colluseum in the Alhambra mostly because the little man led us right up the stairs.

Fearless. If I had to sum up Talmage is just one word, this is what it'd be. Or maybe stubborn. Or maybe strong-willed. Or how about crazy. Cute. Playful. Energetic. All-boy. Strong. Funny. So maybe one word just wouldn't cut it...but for this picture's sake as he's climbing about 100 stairs on his own to the top of the colusseum let's stick with fearless!

The inside of the Palace was incredible. We loved the vibrant tiles, the peaceful courtyards, the gorgeous views and the magnificent archways.

When Talmage started acting like this, we realized our trip was coming to an end. He had had enough of big people stuff. He wanted a good ice cream cone and his blanket and his binkie and his pillow. And of course, his big people delivered! Even when he's grumpy he is so dang cute...how could we resist?

On our way out the lighting was just perfect and I captured this heavenly moment in one of the Palace's many courtyards. It's our inspiration for the courtyard we'd like in our home someday. Orange trees, greenery, a fountain with water running towards it from four sides--it's so relaxing and calming and perfect. Granada, you're beautiful. Hope we can visit again someday.