The end of the day...

Ahhhhh.... It feels good to stretch out on a bed after a long day of sight seeing. Even if it is a hard single bed! Lol! I don't think the people who stay in this hotel care though cause it is for exhausted skiers. We are in Granada n the south of Spain now. It nestled in the mountain range that separates Spain from the Med sea. It was founded and occupied by the Moors for 800 years and that is apparently very obvious in the architecture but it was too dark to really see tonight when we arrived. Anyway, we were told it is a great city to live in because a short drive into the mountains gives you ski resorts that operate 9 to 10 months of the year and you can spend your day skiing and your evening on the beach! How cool is that? So we stay just one night in this hotel and sight see in the morning than off to Seville.

Before we left Toledo, we stopped at a small factory to see some master craftsmen at work. Toledo was famous an still is for their craftsmen making first tools of iron such as daggers and swords and ygr suits of armour worn in the middle ages. In addition their work with 24 K gold to decorate these pieces as well as create remarkable pieces of jewellry. It was very interesting to see the master craftsmen at work, inlaying strands of golf into delicate and intricate designs. Interesting and expensive LOL!

After we left Toledo today, we made an unscheduled stop to see some 500 year wind mills. They were very cool. All located across a hilltop by some castle ruins overlooking the plains of La Mancha. These are the same windmills that Don Quioxte did battle with in the 1600's as the legend goes. It was well worth the stop and I think I got some good pictures. Then we went on to a small farming village for our lunch. The food was interesting! I am determined I will try the local fare whenever I have the opportunity. The other day when we stopped for lunch, we were told we would be having fried cheese and then this mixed vegetable stuffed roll of some sort. And sure enough they started with the fried mozzarella cheese. Omg! It was good. Funny how some of the kids turned their noses up at it. It was a slab of mozzarella fried in olive oil with saffron & oregano. Mmmmmm! Then they brought out the roll. I was kind of expecting a fajita bread stuffed with a stir fry of veggies. I was soooo wrong! The roll itself was some type of crepe. A thin egg thingie. Inside it was filled with green slop. I have other words I could use to describe it but I think you get my point! It looked like a crepe filled with bright green pea soup. I kid you not! I tasted it and it was ok. I could eat it. Actually, the taste was not the problem, the texture was. What'd ya have for lunch Jeannie? Green slime... Mmmmm! And it wasn't even St Paddy's day! A lot of teenagers went hungry after that lunch! And with dinner traditonally served at 9 pm, it was a long wait for some! Lol! I did find out later that it was pureed spinach and potato so now I can make it at home. NOT! Today's lunch was something called pisto. It sounded like peestoe. Green peppers, onions and tomatoes stir fried into what Alberto calls softie veggies! It actually looked like I was being served a bowl of salsa sauce with a side of whole wheat bun. It didn't taste like that though. I tasted like a chunky tomato soup. Kind of. Regardless, it was not objectionable! Lol! And no Jen ... Sorry! No food pictures! But I know love me anyway! :-)

From the farming village (kudos to the bus driver who managed the monstor bus in steets never meant for one! Often making turns with literally inches to spare!) it was back on the bus to drive the remaining 2 hours to Granada. In the last 2 hours we crossed the Spanish state of Andaluscia. Of course, like any other horse lover, I kept my eyes peeled for the very famous horses that bear the same name. No luck! What we saw were miles and miles and I mean MILES of olive trees! Spain is actually first in the world in the export of olive oil. Interestingly enough, one of their biggest customers is Italy who is well known for selling the BEST olive oil. In order to meet the demands for Italian olive oil, they must purchase it in bulk from Spain and bottle it under their Italian label! Hmmmmm ... Think about that next time you are in the salad dessing aisle of the grocery store!

For sure a couple of the girls would be glad to see the end of this road trip as they have been suffering through the day with the stomach flu. We have our fingers crossed that no one else in the group comes down with it. I leant Jessica my pillow for the bus trip today. It is still on the bus! I sprayed in heavily with anti-bacterial spray and am hoping for the best!

Well, that is all for today. I have actually been sleeping on my bed and just woke up with the phone still in my hands. How funny! Guess I better see if I can actually sleep now. One of the women is wearing a pedometer. I forgot to ask what we walked today but the day before it was in the neighbourhood of 22,000 steps!

I hope everyone at home is safe and well and hunkered down with lots of supplies doe the storm. I have heard from Lorne it is supposed to be quite an event! Stay safe! Ciao!
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