Cleaning the Alhambra

We were hit by very strong winds here for the third night in a row, but this felt the worst and the most surreal experience of the lot. It became obvious why today when we realised that we're sleeping under a terrace furnished with an iron gazebo and swing chairs. They creaked and groaned in the violent gusts, making it seem like we were in a tin box that was being rattled about. Some planters must have got dislodged and the sound of those being rolled around on the roof just added to the weirdness. It made for some really strange dreams and another badly disturbed night of sleep.

We drove to Granada today to visit the Alhambra. The drive up past the Sierra Nevada was spectacular. A huge amount of snow has been dumped on the mountains this last few days. It was literally freezing when we arrived. Not helped by the fact I've come down with a cold, I was shivering for the first hour we were wandering around and it wasn't really until the middle of the afternoon, sitting having a coffee in the sun, that I finally started to feel warm. I was so out of it that I actually managed to drop my camera twice today, the first time on this very marble floor. I've never done that even once previously in nearly five years of blipping. It's not a happy piece of electronics at the moment.

The scale of the Alhambra is astonishing. I won't even begin to describe it. All I can say is that I don't envy this poor woman cleaning the place!