The morning is an early one as we wake up at 6:40a (12:40a back home) for our walking tour of Granada. We each receive a bagged breakfast that included pineapple juice, water, a pear, yogurt, two ham & cheese sandwiches and a donut.

The morning is crisp with temperatures in the low 60s so we briskly walk to our first location – The Granada Cathedral. Our tour guide Ramon takes us around the perimeter of the cathedral then on and up winding cobblestone streets through La Plaza Nueva, and up to the Alhambra. This was a steep hike for some up through the gardens and pathways leading up to La Alhambra but it was such a beautiful walk in! Lush green pathways are showered with the morning sprinkler systems and it smells like the rainforest as we pass by trickling waterfalls, beautiful flowers and lush shrubs and trees.

Once we arrive at the top, we begin our guided tour with Ramon throughout the Alhambra. Once we enter the main area it is crawling with marble floors and fountains in each room, intricate ceramics on the wall and delicately carved walls and ceilings. Each room was breathtaking and we were all in complete awe with how spectacular the architecture is.

After our tour, we quick get back on the bus and make our way 1 hour 30 minutes to Malaga to board our 2:45p Renfe train to Barcelona. The train ride from Malaga to Barcelona was a long but easy 5-hour ride as we coasted through the country of Spain, past cities and through the Sierra Nevada mountain range. There was also a professional handball team in the car in front of us all in their uniforms that a group of our girls ended up playing ‘Uno’ with, with giggles all the way.

Upon arrival of Barcelona, a slight rain didn’t stop us from boarding the bus for a 10-minute ride to our Hotel Pestana Arena. Its a very modern hotel with darling floor to ceiling green lights illuminating our room numbers along with a cozy bedroom filled with amenities. We quick leave our belongings in the room before meeting the group back down in the lobby to walk 3-minutes over to dinner at Bodega Monumental Restaurante.

It was a fun, well-decorated restaurant in which we enjoyed wine, tapas, cod, and a creme brûlée that tasted like pumpkin pie. A fabulous dinner as we were all quite hungry after a day of traveling m. After dinner some of the group went out to explore the city at night while others came back to prepare for our GOT excursion to Girona in the morning.