We have a big trip today to Granada 540 kilometres away.
Samuel talked to us about their Christmas traditions. Everyone has 12 days off including the children from school.
It sounds a bit like ours with lots of food and competition between mother’s and mother in laws to see who can feed the family the most each year. They have the main meal Christmas eve. It comprise of canapés, fish soup, turkey, a pineapple dessert and Christmas cake. They then go to church at 12.00. Historically gifts were given on the 5th and 6th January but now the kids usually get their presents on Christmas Eve so they have time to play with them before they go back to school. They have Christmas sales on 7th January and then everyone goes back to work and school. Boxing Day is not significant here.
During the drive we see crops of lettuce and cucumber which they export but there is also broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes, pomegranates and more almond and citrus trees.
He talked about weddings and that divorce only legal since 1982.
We arrive in Granada safely.
We go on a guided walk/bus tour and learn a lot more about Granada. We visited a Carthuscien Monastery which was small but incredible. Not many photos as ran out of battery. We also visited the cathedral of course. This one is famous because Queen Isabella and King Fernand are buried here. It was to be a simple chapel but it was not finished when they died. It ended up like all of the others which was very impressive. The Carrara marble was used in the monuments to Isabella. The alter had so many figures on it. The figures told the biblical story of Jesus. This meant that the people who could not read which was most of the population could learn about Jesus. There is still a service at 9.30 every day. Queen Isabella’s crown and King Fernand’s sword were there as well as works of art by Flemish, Italian and Spanish masters from 15th century.
The big industry for Granada is the university with 60000 students attending the uni with most of them coming from outside Granada. The economy is not in good shape here and there is over 30% unemployment. They do have some factories for milk products, olive oil and a brewery.
We had dinner out and it was excellent. Tapas of tuna salad, tasty lemony fish bits, jamon and tomato on toast(usual recipe) and tempura eggplant. Ken had pork ribs and I had ratatouille with a runny egg on top and finished off with delicious cake topped with chocolate. Red wine of course accompanied the meal.
Ken & Louise Dudley 