Beginning of Granada and a note from Barcelona

So far having a really hard time in Granada. First there isn't a tourist office at the train station, and no bus straight from it, so when a train arrives the taxi lines are massive. So we walk down to the main street to get a taxi that ultimately doesn't take us to our hotel, dropping us at a nearby plaza, saying cars cant go where we are staying - which would be true, except theres an exception specifically for taxis going to hotels. Anyways, after an uphill climb on cobblestones, on what I would later find to be a lovely street beside the Darrow river with views of Alhambra but at the time was pure torture, we get to the street of our hotel. Which is even steeper and cobblestonier. And technically, it isn't a hotel  but more like a bed and breakfast, except breakfast isn't really included. So an Inn? Not sure what I was thinking booking it. I think I was swayed by proximity to Alhambra, and being in the historic district, which is nice, but not worth the inconvenience. If I ever find myself in Granada again, Im going with somewhere near the Cathedral, preferably on the Gran Via. Or, one of the handful of hotels actually in Alhambra, which though hard to get to, would atleast allow you to wander the gardens. And given how pricey the hotels there are, presumably they'd have shuttles to handle transfers? Anyways, heading out for a bite to eat now. Hopefully things start looking up. Spain vs Portugal tonight! -------- So, currently sitting at the train station in Granada waiting for our overnight train to Barcelona, after a very long two and a half days. The train station is ridiculously tiny and ill equipped to handle a steady flow of tourists. Not only is there no tourist office, as I complained about earlier, but also, no luggage storage of any type. luckily I found out about the luggage issue ahead of time, so planned our trip around needing to be in Albaycin in the evening. No facilities here meant we had dinner at a bar nearby, which actually worked out nicely. I really love this price model where you get tapas free with your drink. Not super fancy stuff like In the touristy restaurants, but sandwiches, soups, and just now, chicken wings. Easily enough food to cover the cost of your drink.  Anyways, to recap. Our first half day in Granada went ok. After resting a bit in our hotel, and chatting with a really nice Australian couple while waiting out the hottest part of the day, we wandered the downtown a bit, shopped, and ran some errands - basically getting my cell phone set up. We tried to book our tickets to Alhambra at a ticket office near Plaza Nueva, but found out that the preorder tickets for morning entry were sold out - and when the temperature climbs up over 40C, you definitely want a morning ticket. So we planned to get to Alhambra before the ticket office opened at 8am to buy a day of ticket.  After that we wandered around a bit looking for dinner, when we realized it was close to game time so went straight to a bar that the host at our inn recommended. And we had a fabulous time. It was the first time we encountered the free tapas with drinks, so it actually worked out that we didn't have dinner before. And having gotten there a bit before game time we had awesome seats. The game itself was fab, and even mom got super into it by the end. It would have been perfect if it was shorter, given the early start we'd need the next day. Anyways, almost train time. More soon.  ---- And now sitting in the restaurant car on the train. Mom is in her couchette and is watching our beds. I'm not super comfy hanging out there - need to remember to upgrade to the highest class possible for overnight train rides, especially to the first level where your group would have the car to themselves. Will probably hang here until I finish my diet coke, before sequestering myself in the room. There's aircondiioning there, but the rooms haven't chilled yet.  And back to the recap. As I mentioned earlier, our first full day in Granada started super early. Given our proximity to Alhambra, we walked up the hill to it, not stopping to have breakfast. Though we did stop many times going up the steep hill to take breaks and have water. Anyways, we get there, and mom stands in line while I grab cafe com leche for me, and a cafe cortada (just a bit of milk with the espresso) for mom, along with a sandwich. We get our tickets without any major issues, and enter the complex not long after it opens. And it's gorgeous - but I don't think I was fully properly appreciative, since it pretty much looked like Morocco. Honestly, having been to morocco, it was never in my plans to visit Granada, a city whose main attraction, but or some reason mom (who was with me in Morocco) wanted to see it, so in the itinerary it went.  ------- So - currently I'm starting my second day in Barcelona, and our schedule has been too tight to blog much, with us getting up early and staying out till late. Today wiling more of the same, with squeezing in as much time here in Barcelona for sightseeing before we fly out tonight to Palma. Where we have the Euro final, and then another early morning because of my conference presentation. Anyways - posting this incomplete recap now. More to come later, maybe after my presentation is over and done with?