Sunday in Spain

Sunday morning in Granada - absolutely gorgeous!  We got up early because we had to figure out how to find the church in Granada.  We tried to find it on Google maps and on our GPS and realized that we didn't trust either of them, so we took a cab.

 We met up with Pepe and Loli Sanchez, Rafael and Manuel at the ward in Granada.  Pepe was just 14 years old and a newly baptized member when Gary was serving in Granada. He is married now (converted his wife Loli) and has three children who are all doing well and active in the Church.  Rafael is also married and his wife is in the Relief Society Presidency in Granada.  Manuel was the second member of the Church in Granada and is still active.

Church was amazing!  There were three sisters in Relief Society who spoke English so they translated for me and the lesson was great.  It was about being self sufficient, home improvement, food storage etc and it was a VERY lively discussion!  The ladies all just speak out and talk over the top of one another and it is hilarious.  They get very passionate about their ideas and it is a blast to watch them interact with eachother.

After Church we went back to our little hotel, which was located in the streets right beneath the Alhambra Palace.

We walked up the street and found a great little tapas bar for lunch.  The streets were crowded with Sunday crowds so we ate our lunch on the wall by the river.  It was great just to sit and watch the people walk by.

 

The people in Spain, especially the women, are very very stylish!  They get all dressed up whenever they go out, even if it is just to the market to pick up fresh bread and cheese.  The standard uniform of the Spanish woman is a skirt, sweater, scarf and boots with heels.  Or designer jeans, a sweater, scarf and boots with heels!  I think I need to invest in a pair of chic boots with heels!

After lunch we decided to do a little exploring.  The streets around our hotel were full of gorgeous old buildings that had been palacios and estates in the 15th and 16th centuries, but have now been turned into hotels and apartments. Our hotel had a fresco in the entry courtyard which was painted in the 1700's.

There was also the most adorable little church in the plaza just down the street from the hotel.  It is like the perfect little village church!

This is a view from across the street up the little stairway to our hotel

The bridge across from our hotel.  It leads to a little cluster of hotels just below the Alhambra Palace

The hotels below the Alhambra Palace.

We walked down the street from our hotel to the Christopher Columbus Plaza.  Gary used to cash his missionary checks at the bank on the corner!

We were then able to wander through a few streets until we found the street that Gary used to live on, and the apartment he lived in!

 

Next, we wandered into the central part of Granada to the Cathedral.  There were so many buildings that had been built around it that it is almost hidden.  You can see the spires of the cathedral over this palacio.

Here is one of the entrances to the Cathedral.

 

The main entrance to the Cathdral is down a narrow alley that opens into a big plaza.

  

Across from the main entry to the Cathedral is the Convent - gorgeous building!

Here is the dome inside the Cathedral.  It was very ornately painted and absolutely gorgeous!  All in all, our Sunday in Granada was spectactular!!