The Voyage of the Mighty Tenho: road trip to Granada

Prop just arrived, wish us luck tomorrow as we haul the boat out and put it on. While we were waiting for it to arrive, we rented a car and spent a couple nights in Granada. Very amusing drive to get there, because our GPS kept trying to have us turn onto highway on-ramps that were either closed or didn't exist. We’re assuming the debt crisis cancelled the completion of long sections of the new coastal highway, but only after the plans were submitted to the Tom-Tom folks. We passed beautiful bridges that didn't connect to anything, and more of the omni-present deserted half-finished building construction sites.

The drive also gave us an up-close look at the sea of plastic we’d seen from the water. It's like the California Central Valley meets the Godzilla of Glad wrap: mile after mile of coastal scrub desert blanketed in plastic greenhouses. We also were in the nearby town on market day when a march against austerity measures came through, complete with communist and Che Guevera flags…what an opportunity for the kids to learn about all sorts of issues.

In Granada, we stayed at a lovely little hotel with a view of the Alhambra from the roof-top terrace. Our first night we walked over to the old Muslim quarter of Granada called the Albayzin and went to a unique flamenco show, sort of an artsy new-age version. We were all in awe of the metal flying saucer-shape instrument, which we later discovered is called a "Bell" and was just invented a few years ago. And with kids, we were given front row seats…what a treat.

The next morning we got up bright and early to get our first opening of the day reservations for the Alhambra – the lovely quiet cool uncrowded part of the day – the perfect time to go. The kids loved all the flowing water and the amazing designs covering every surface (although I’m guessing that in 10 years, they’ll only remember the leaf-boats in the water). We have a couple books on Islamic art and had fun trying to recreate some of the designs with protractors and rulers. Our favorite book is Islamic Design – A Genius for Geometry by Daud Sutton if anyone wants to give it a try.