P8315836.JPG
My first night in Granada, they hosted a dinner for
all the tutorial speakers on the roof of the San Anton
Hotel.
SpanishSunset2.tif
The view of the sunset from the roof was lovely!
P9036096.JPG
The following day, during the lunch break, I went exploring
with a friend I'd met on the flight out. This is the
main cathedral in Granada.
SpanishCathedral1.tif
The cathedral was beautifully imposing from all angles.
P9015848.JPG
This is one of the antichambers, I think.
P9015852.JPG
The ceilings were higher than they needed to be for
the average person.
P9015853.JPG
The organs were impressive.
P9015860.JPG
I would have liked to hear what came out of these pipes.
SpanishCathedral2.tif
This is one of my favorite HDR shots of a cathedral
that I've taken.
P9015874.JPG
Once we had finished with the church, we wandered off,
looking for a place to lunch.
P9015877.JPG
Werner & Dena
Here is my friend, Dena, with another friend of hers
we met while wandering.
P9015879.JPG
Back at the conference, we enjoyed our afternoon coffee
break from the tutorials.
P9025983.JPG
Here are a couple of fellow tutorial speakers, Simon
and Alan, with one of Alan's students, Antonis.
SpanishCanal4.tif
That evening, we enjoyed some of the sights before finding
a place to have dinner. Dinner in Spain generally starts
about 10ish at the earliest, which was difficult for
myself and many others to get used to.
SpanishCanal6.tif
I was so jet-lagged that night, I can't even remember
what I did, exactly. I think I went to bed.
Alhambra1.tif
The following evening, they had the official welcome
reception, which started with a tour of the main tourist
attraction, the Alhambra.
P9026035.JPG
The Alhambra is an amazing mix of architectural styles,
many of them from Arab and Muslim traditions.
Alhambra3.tif
The fact that the palaces stood on a hill made sunset
a spectacular time to visit.
P9026052.JPG
As the guides repeated many times, "water is wealth"
in this society, so a display of pools and fountains
was the ultimate statement of who is richest.
P9026054.JPG
You have to see this place to believe it.
P9026057.JPG
The ceilings were modeled in a stalagtite style, and
the filigree that covered every surface was mind-boggling.
P9026069.JPG
People split into several groups of 30 or so in order
that the guides could take us around.
P9026088.JPG
After the tour, we walked up to a reception area where
they served us drinks and some light hors d'ouvres.
Having not eaten since lunchtime, I'm guessing a lot
of people were having trouble standing up after an hour
or two of this. Here are the SIGGRAPH representatives
sent to recruit people from the conference. Dena and
I left just after this photo to go find a place to eat.
P9036122.JPG
The following night, we headed up through the gypsy
quarter to have dinner at a restaraunt on the top of
the hill, which featured flamenco music and dancing.
Here are some of my friends from University College
London.
P9036133.JPG
I couldn't resist the opportunity to take a few photos
of the Alhambra from the other side of the valley.
P9046167.JPG
Here we are having dinner.
P9056200.JPG
The following night, we were on our own again, so I
met up with some friends from UCL and headed out to
find a nice place to eat.
P9056210.JPG
The night in Granada is more active than the day, at
least on a Friday.
P9056214.JPG
While we were waiting for Franco to join, Celine visited
a local shop.
P9056243.JPG
Here we are at a nice little patio restaraunt on a small
square up in the hills.
P9056258.JPG
This is me trying snails for (almost) the first time.
They were good, if a bit fussy to eat. Franco liked
them to, despite his expression.
Page created Sept 9 2003 1:49:28p