Saying Good-bye to Granada...

The time had come.  It was mid-May and we were catching a flight back to Arizona.  First we tried to say goodbye to all of our friends.  We spent a week trying to see everybody which was almost impossible, and then spent our last morning and early afternoon with Kellie, Brit, Nando, Paloma, Adrian, Daniela and Jose at Puerta de las Pesas.  Where else?

When the time came to say our final goodbyes (we had no idea how long it would be until we’d see them again) it was much harder than any of us had imagined.  Hugs all around and we found ourselves in tears as we left this wonderful family who had helped us with the culture, history, and yes, the language of Spain and Granada. 

They had been such a large part of our lives for the past year.  Even a few of the “hippies” Juan and Oscar waved and called “adios” as we returned to our apartment for the last time.

We had no idea what our future in the Peace Corps would bring and our Spanish friends struggled to understand, as they put it, “our desire to help” other people. 

Suddenly we had loaded our bags into Jose’s car and were on the way to the bus station.  A final hug from Jose and our magical year free of responsibilities was over.

The five hour bus ride passed in silence as we both were lost in our thoughts.  It was time to pamper ourselves so we caught a cab from the bus station in Madrid to our hotel near the airport.  We stayed at the HoteltaCH and it was perfect.  It had a small café/bar on the ground floor, a nicely equipped workout room and our room was clean and comfortable.  A good business hotel yet, it was just what we needed as we nursed our drinks and talked about what we were about to do.

A good night’s rest and a short hotel shuttle ride to the airport and we were checking in for our flight to Phoenix via Dulles in Washington D.C.  It was a little hard to imagine that we had left our youngest daughter in Granada, for a second time. 

After the usual airport hassles (less in Madrid than other places) we settled into our seats for the long journey back to Phoenix.  For once, our travel plans had gone off without a hitch.