SPAIN-Day 4

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!! Today we slept in ( vacations are great), ate a big family brunch and headed to Granada for an overnight trip. The trip to Granada is about 3.5 hours through some incredible scenic views of hills and valleys and farms and extensive, stunning "white" town where all the little building are white with beautiful red spanish roofs. By the time we got up to Granada in the mountains, we were looking at the most stunning snow capped mountains- it was amazing. We borrowed winter gear for the mountains and were so glad to have it!

The main attraction in Granada is La Alhambra. Its a Muslim Palace that is over a thousand years old that was then added on to by the Christians. It's an incredible place. La Alhambra sits way up on a mountain so we got our hotel up there too and amazingly so, found one right across the street!
The Palace and Fortress are behind us as we viewed the extensive gardens.

When the Christians added on, they added very elaborate, very post gothic "stuff" onto the palace. While the Christian stuff was cool, it was sad to just see it literally pasted onto the Muslim castle. Some places just didn't fit.
Like this. We are here in a very Roman looking part of the Christian Palace. When you stood in the center, you could whisper and be heard all over the massive room.
We switched couples for photo ops as we waited in line to get into La Alhambra
In one of the incredible courtyards. This is the only courtyard where you can see some of the remaining fortress wall behind.
The details was breathtaking. All the walls inside the Palace were like this- just dripping with carvings and details and tiles. The work that was put into this place is hard to comprehend.
A reflecting pond...yup, thats us kissing on the other side.
The Boyds, our wonderful tour guides!
The Boyds and the Fultons.
Heather and Olivia stayed outside for a snack and the boys and I headed towards the fortress to see the remains of the guard towers and market place and baths. We went out onto a low tower and could look down on Granada below and see everything. The heights were almost too much for me. SO when the boys decided to climb up to the main guard tower, no way for me. While I waited for them to climb the stairs, I had to stand in the middle of the platform below so I wasn't close to any edges.

Here the boys are at the highest point of the Palace
Us looking out at the views of Granada
Then we headed back to the Hotel for some more Tapas and beer. Have I told you lately how much I love this place? Beer and wine and and tiny little meals all the time- it's amazing!
Then we put Olivia down in one room and after she fell asleep, the Boyds headed over to our room for our favorite part of each night, lots of drinking of red wine and eating of snacks and constant talking for hours and hours- we are so blessed to get along so well! Here we are drinking wine from Twizzler straws!
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Earlier in the day while we waited in line to enter the Palace, we were all just trying to keep Olivia happy. Brian made the comment that she was asking us to "Dance Monkey". Sweet Olivia heard a new phrase and ran with it. Here she is saying it over and over while we laughed uncontrollably!