Lilia's Travel Secrets

It happened during my second day in Granada, Andalusia. The day before, my eyes were amazed by the beauty of the Alhambra and of all its palaces and I was convinced that nothing in that city could surprise me anymore. How wrong was I!
I woke up that morning, dazzled by the bright sun of November. Letting my feet guiding me through the city, I ended up climbing old white stairs, leading to the ancient Arabic part of the city: Albaicín. The friend I was staying at mentioned it as one of the main places to see. Beautiful graffiti were paint on the walls by local artists. I remember one saying “Sahara libre”. Oh and three other ones representing the eye, the face and the belly of a half-naked woman, looking down pensively while silently trying to catch the passerby's attention.
A few steps later, I ended up in a small street, wandering among old white houses, half expected to see a caliph crossing my way to take me back to the glorious past of the city.
Suddenly, a delicate flavor of grilled tomatoes attracted me to a small courtyard where four wooden tables were standing under a palm tree. For an unknown reason, I decided to sit down. The day before, my friend made me discovered one secret of Andalusia: el tinto de verano, a clever mix of red wine and lemonade. I asked for one and the lady told me that I could eat as much as I wanted. It was included in the price. My stomach loudly approved the proposition, filled with enthusiasm at the view of all the delicious specialties served there. I must say this was one of the best lunches ever. Then the lady asked me two euros for the drink. At first, I thought my knowledge of the Spanish language had failed me but no it was only dos euros for everything…
Thinking that my day could not get better; I continued my walk through the narrow streets and arrived on a square facing the Sierra Nevada. Half-hidden in the sun, a flamenco guitar player was crying on his instrument, singing the turbulent history of his people. I sat in front of him and slowly lost all sense of time. Tears started to roll down my cheeks as I listened to his sorrows. Hard it was to digest so much beauty. Even now, my body cannot help but shake every time I remember that moment. That very moment where I have fallen in love with Spain.