<p>You can reserve your tickets to the Alhambra online [Alhambra</a> of Granada. Tickets, Guided tours, information, photographies, Guide of Granada. - AlhambraDeGranada.org](<a href=“http://www.alhambradegranada.org/en/]Alhambra”>Alhambra of Granada. Information about the monument, how to buy tickets, guided tours, photographies, guide of Granada. - AlhambraDeGranada.org). When we arrived in Granada, we went to a La Caixa Bank ATM, used the same credit card with which we reserved the tickets, and picked up the tickets at the ATM. No need to print tix in advance & worry about forgetting or losing them, just pick them up at the ATM before you visit. The official Alhambra website explains ticket sales very well.</p>
<p>D2 wanted to do study abroad in Spain, but H didn’t think it would be a good idea due to Spain’s economic crisis. We are generally very careful when we travel, but will take additional precaution. </p>
<p>Train sounds like a good option too. I don’t know about Spain’s domestic flights, but Alitalia is horrible, so we would take their fast train from Milan to Florence.</p>
<p>Iberia and the many airlines that serve Spain are above average. Some short flights might have narrow seat arrangement, but the prices are pretty low, especially from cities such as Barcelona, Madrid, and Malaga. The train is convenient because you lose less time connecting to the airports and have to deal with security. All in all, traveling to, from, and within Spain is not a chore. After all, it is one of the largest tourist destinations in the world.</p>
<p>It is easy to compare flights versus train through a site such as Expedia, Kayak, or others and then click on <a href=“http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/[/url]”>http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/</a> </p>
<p>Make sure to identify the type of trains. Not every train is a fast one! And some are downright decadent in a good way: <a href=“http://www.trenalandalus.com/[/url]”>http://www.trenalandalus.com/</a></p>
<p>I am not paying 3400 Euro/person to ride a train.</p>
<p>We were in Spain just over a year ago. We felt safe everywhere we went. On the surface, I didn’t notice any economic hardship.</p>
<p>It’s true that despite Spain’s bad economy, things, especially food are not cheap. Although there are many people out and about in sidewalk cafes and restaurants in squares, a closer look indicates that most local people just have drinks, hardly any food was ordered. Spanish dishes here in the US are very different than their counterparts in Spain, just as our kids could not find their favorite toppings on pizzas in Italy. Ham(cured)was everywhere and if you order seafood paella, it will be served with miniature fish and shrimps, shells, heads, tails, guts and all.</p>
<p>We are now in Sevilla. Eating our way through. The weather has been kind of iffy, but still in the 70s. </p>
<p>Up thread I asked about safety of Sevilla. Well, D1 left her wallet at a ceramic store yesterday. She asked this morning if we’ve see her wallet and remembered the last time she used it was at the store. We called the store, fully expecting them to say, “No, we don’t have it.” The cashier told D2 (in Spanish) that it is in safe keep, not to worry. The wallet along cost few hundred $. H took a cab over and retrieved it. D1 was very lucky and they were very honest, nothing was taken.</p>
<p>We went there a couple of years ago, and stayed inside the Alhambra, in the parador that used to be a convent. We flew to Madrid, and took the comfortable train to Granada. We were glad not to have the bother of a car in those narrow streets. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.andalucia.com/cities/granada/hotels/parador-granada.htm”>http://www.andalucia.com/cities/granada/hotels/parador-granada.htm</a></p>
<p>Plan to spend a lot of time in the spectacular Generalife, the garden opposite the Alhambra. </p>