We woke up at 8:00am and while my mom was getting ready and showering, I went into the kitchen to make breakfast. I put together a complete meal of cereal, yogurt, fruit, juice and tea. It was a little cold and grey and I hoped it wouldn't rain.
With our "Palacio of the Nazaries," ticket schedule for 9:30am, we power walked all the way up the hill to the Alhambra from my apartment. After withdrawing our tickets from the machine, we entered the Alhambra grounds and waited in line to enter the palace. Good thing we had worn our scarves as it was kind of chilly.
At 9:30 we were let in and having skipped the audio guide, decided to wander at our own pace and soak in all of the detail. I love the Alhambra and see more and more subtleties each time I go. Really magnificent. Its incredible that I live so close to it. My mom really enjoyed it. We took a lot of pictures and marveled at the patios and fountains. Things were going great until we got to the passage way coming out of Washington Irving's room. Stepping back to get a better picture of my mom, I tripped over one of the water bowls on the ground, and my camera, despite being around my wrist, flew off and crashed on the stairs. Broken. I was really sad and disappointed as I really liked that camera and had only had it for a little over a year. I'd taken such good care of it and for such a freak accident to destroy it was both ridiculous and ironic.
Not letting the camera accident hamper our day, we finished touring the palace and then spent the next 2 hours touring the "Torre Vela," watch tower of the Alcazaba, military fort, and enjoying the exquisite, flower filled gardens of the Generalife. My third time at the Alhambra, I was still entering new rooms and seeing new places. We bought some great gifts at the shops before heading down the hill around 1:00pm.
I took my mom "local shopping," stopping at Mercado Central for chicken and fresh cheese from the Sierra Nevada. After stopping at a bread and fruit store, we went back home for a "local lunch," of open faced bocadillos.
After lunch we walked around looking for a new camera and exploring the city. We stopped at an ice cream place right by my house for some fantastic gelato. We walked down to the river and back to my piso so I could get ready for my 5:30 class. I didn't really want to go to school when my mom was here, but I knew I needed to go as I wouldn't be there all of next week.
In Teoría del Estado we had a computer presentation by the librarians, explaining how to use the Spanish online databases to look for documents. As soon as class ended, I headed back to my apartment to change into my salsa clothes.
I had asked my teacher last week if I could bring my mom when she was here. We walked back the way I had just came to the campus of Fuente Nueva. My mom ended up not dancing, but still had a good time watching and taking pictures.
Earlier in the week I'd been invited to a dinner with my UC friends at Debby and Alexis' house. My mom had been invited too. After salsa, we walked to Plaza de Toros. Although slightly awkward to bring my mom to a college party and drinking together, everyone had fun. I was glad to introduce my mom to many of the people I'd been traveling with this year. Alexis made some excellent cuban-style chicken and rice. Rachel made brownies from a Ghiradeli mix sent from the US. We left at 12:30am.
Back home, I was still deciding whether I should go to class or not the next day. In the end I decided I should and spent the next 3 hours, finishing up an essay about the "Berlin Conference," discussing the division of Africa for Historia Política Social Contemporánea. I went to bed at 3:30am.
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