My day of wrong directions and bad timing aka why I didn't see La Alhambra

I practiced letting go today. I'm not much of a quitter (yes, I quit my job but that's different...I'm talking about confronting challenges/problems/dilemmas). I try to solve everything, push everything as far as it will go, and have a hard time letting go when I haven't found the answer or success I'm looking for. The end result isn't always positive so, perhaps, I need to learn when to fold 'em. Today, I did all I could and it just wasn't in the cards for me. Luckily "failure" in beautiful Granada means sitting in a park, looking at snow capped mountains in the distance and listening to the birds.

As soon as I got to Sevilla I booked my train tickets for a day trip to Granada. The next step, preorder tix for La Alhambra. Unfortunately, the only time left for my day of choice was 7p.m. I knew it was cutting it close to my 8:48p.m return train but the woman on the phone assured me (en ingles) that I could see everything except the 1 palace before then and I would be able to do it all and make my train. (Note to self: next time, book attraction tix 1st, then train).

So I arrive in Granada with a map and bus information to get to the center. From the center I am supposed to get another bus to the Alhambra. I find the 1st bus, I get off the bus and find a complete lack of street signs and also not enough info on my map. The signs for tourist information led me in a circle (literally) for about 30 mins.

I was convinced I could figure it out, I always find my way, even after 1 or 2 wrong turns and I had plenty of time...no luck. I found a nice looking hotel. There I received a new map which still had no street names and looked like a cartoon. But she drew me my directions and I was off.

So I get where she told me I was going and still, I am lost. BUT I found a tourist info center! So I go in there and get a 3rd map with new, completely different directions, more cartoon like and less street names. At this point I'm thoroughly confused. I then wandered in the same 3 block area for another 30 mins (this has all taken over 2 hours at this point) before I FINALLY find the bus to the Alhambra. It was early but I figured I'd just get where I was going and relax.

I get there, get a bocadillo con jamon y queso y una cerveza. I eat, chill, see a taxi stand and I think "hmmm, if I can take a taxi to the train later I will not have to worry about getting lost with busses." Genius! I ask a taxi driver, en espanol, how many minutes to the train station and how much ot costs. I have a plan (and I'm speaking spanish successfully)!

I enter the monument and explore sloooooowly. I am still done everything by 4 except the 1 important part I can't enter until 7. So I sit in the shade, have some coffee, watch the stray cats, wander a bit more and it's only 5. Argh.

I then had an important thought. The Spain game is on tonight here at 8:30. If you know anything about the work ethic of most people here and put that together with their love of futbol...we have a problem! Who is going to be driving cabs at 8:15p.m? Haha! No one!

2 options: sit for 2 more hours, rush through the palaces, and then cross my fingers that I make my return train (the last of the night) OR skip the supposedly magnificent palaces, head back to the train station, see if I can maybe get an earlier train or at least know 100% that I will make mine.

I chose option 2. I got to the train station and found I had missed an earlier train to Sevilla by 20 minutes. Haha! It's ok...I can wander (in a straight path) and explore Granada a bit. Oh wait...it's siesta time. Haha!

So...I was annoyed and angry and overall disappointed. I didn't race back to the alhambra to get into the palace (although I thought about it). I didn't lose my mind. I let go. I found some helado, I found my bench, and I have only 1 more hour til my train (which I am guaranteed to make) where I can take a nice long nap (and not sleep on the streets of Granada tonight) and make my way to a flamenco bar when I get back to Sevilla.

Hopefully, my trip to Cadiz goes better tomorrow!