I woke up at 12:30 and after a quick workout and breakfast/lunch I met up with a group of about 5 people to go exploring. We had heard that there was a church across the valley of the Alhambra that had stunning views of the Alhambra and Granada.
Wandering through the streets north of the residencia I began to see why people think Granada is so beautiful. Close apartment buildings lined narrow cobblestone streets. We were semi-lost but by looking at the map, we were able to take a road that wound up the mountain side. As it turned out, we were lost and had not gone to our intended destination but rather wound up in another great place with a fantastic view of the Alhambra and surrounding area. We were walking along a mountainside where there were caves dug into the side of hill. Like little hobbit holes, people lived inside of the caves (at the time I had know idea where we were but upon checking the map back at home, it turned out we were in Sacramonte, the ancient gypsy quarter and now home to numerous flamenco bars).
We came to a large, spanning stone wall whose purpose I was not sure (it turned out they were 14th century or before walls built by the Mores as defensive walls against northern Christian invaders). We climbed up and around it and were given an even better view. After spending a long time on the wall, we kept following the dirt trail up the hill, leading us to a Monastery. We had taken a most indirect route as you could have driven up the hill from the opposite side. There was a cool sculpture by the monastery which also served as a drinking fountain.
Back at the residencia, we watched the closing ceremonies for the Olympics. It was still my birthday and I wanted to something social but it didn't have to be as busy as the night before. Everyone was a little tired, but they were still excited to come. We found a nice tapas bar and had a low key evening.
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