Ann drove me to SFO. I should modify that: I drove to the airport with Ann in the car so that she could drive it back home. I wanted to drive to test my shoulder to make sure that I could drive a rental car in Spain. I broke my clavicle on my right side the week before and my mobility was suspect. We survived the drive.

If you didn't know, I was going to a BAC bicycle ride in Andalucia. Even though I broke my clavicle, I decided to go on the trip without my bike after getting permission from our tour director, Jane Maxwell. Jane, along with Sandy Emerson and Jean Peters from Berkeley were on the same flights.

Our plane was an Airbus A380-800 from Air France/Delta. It was a monster with two decks seating at least 500 passengers. Boarding went smoothly and we left on time. I forgot to download the book that I wanted read on my iPad, so I was forced to watch three movies during the flight. I saw one of the Hobbit movies, a Hunger Games movie and a movie about an Indian chef in France. I didn't get much sleep. The two meals were OK.

We had about 1:45 to change planes in CDG for our flight to Malaga. To get to the next flight, we walked, rode a train shuttle and then walked again. It was good to get a little exercise after sitting in the plane for so long.

Through our tour company, Iberocycle , Jane arranged for a charter bus to take us from the airport to our hotel in Granada . We met several other tour members at the airport, found our way to the bus and motored on a two hour drive to Granada. We arrived the evening of April 23, a day and a half after we left the Bay Area.

Hotel Hotel Alixares is a large tourist hotel across the street from the Alhambra . My room was a small single room in a very quiet section of the hotel. I met Sandy and Jean for a forgettable dinner buffet in the hotel's dining room. Then it was off to bed for a welcomed night's sleep.