The post with no pictures

Up until now we’ve included a few photos with each blog post. As you might imagine, we now have hundreds of photos and are going to have to find some time to post them on a photo sharing site apart from this blog. More on that later…

But this blog post will be uniquely without photos for a good reason. They didn’t allow mobile phones, cameras or even watches into this venue. So you’re going to have to close your eyes and imagine as you continue reading.

Yesterday evening we enjoyed a relaxing experience at a local Arab Bathhouse. And I must say that after more than a week of transcontinental trekking, it was a well deserved break.

The experience began by changing into swimwear and slipping on a pair of funny little non slip booties before entering into the appropriately dimmed bathhouse with instrumental Arab music playing in the background.

First stop was a short back massage - which much needed after carrying a backpack everywhere for over a week.

We then entered into a space containing seven different pools of water at different temperatures, ranging from refreshing hot to bone chilling cold. The idea was to move from pool to pool and to just relax.

Then we found the eucalyptus sauna, and that was a game changer! Now we had the opportunity to become engulfed in what felt like a Halls cough drop (in a good way). Deep breathes cleared not only our nose, but our lungs and minds as well. And of course, the sweat naturally cleansed our skin as well.

The game became to see who could take the coldest shower and plunge upon leaving the sauna. The alternating cycles of heat and cold were amazing refreshing.

And, as if that wasn’t enough, there was a side room where you could pour yourself a piping hot glass of mint tea before plunging into the next pool. Actually there was also a lemon raibos tea. Both were delicious and I will need to find a way to recreate them at home.

All tolled, they gave us about 90 minutes for our cleaning after which we walked back through the streets of Granada in flip flops and feeling rejuvenated.

They say that a perfect day in Granada has to include an Arab Bathhouse and we’re going to have to agree!