7am

We woke up shivering. It was still cold outside and early morning we can here hurried footstep coming down the stairs. All tried to beat the crowd at Alhambra.

Tourists had started crowding Granada especially Alhambra although we are still in winter season (towards the end)with traces of spring coming in. We read in the guidebook that Alhambra is extremely crowded during spring that sometimes it is almost impossible to get entrance tickets in Alhambra if no bookings were made earlier.

I was so lazy to get up and get myself wet early in the morning. The ablution I took before Subuh prayer was tortured enough and I felt (at that time) taking a shower would be like committing suicide. I don't think I can stand the cold. But for the sake of personal hygiene and being an Asian through and through, I know I must take a shower, at least once a day.

So off I ran to the bathroom, shade my nighties and had a shower. While in the stall, I contemplated should I washed my hair. Oh! What the heck, since I am already in shower, might as well I wash my hair so.. with the ice-cold water that numbed my scalp, I shampooed.

When it was Jules time, I just sat back and laughed watching her doing her little dance from bed to the bathroom. Like me, she also shampooed her hair. Because of the weather, we need to shampoed our hair regularly, otherwise it would be coarse and stuck to our head like we glued them there.

Our first agenda was to go to Internet Cafe and book for flights from Malaga to Birmingham or Liverpool or Manchester or Heathrow. We found several sites that were suggested by Minna but most of them had last minute price meaning exorbitant!

So, we decided to use our EUR coins and called one of the service. But, we were told that the flight service are for EU or UK residents. Others are not eligible to use the service. WHAT? Meanwhile, all flights at Easyjet.com were fully booked so we have no other means to fly out from Spain to England. The last resort was to try Ryan.com but the setback was we have to take the flight from Gerona Barcelona. We have just bought train ticket to Malaga for EUR11.21!

Asked Jules input on this and she said we have no choice but to take Ryan Air and take train ticket to Barcelona. So after checking mails and updating our journey to friends and family, we ventured out to the train station. We decided to walk to the train station while enjoying the shops along the road.

At the train station, there was one coin operated internet service, so we decided to just try and book the air ticket from there. For EUR3 we managed to book, paid and confirmed the air tickets from Gerona to Birmingham. Each around EUR28.88. We consulted the customer service at the train station and bought the 10.20pm train from Granada and reach Barcelona around 10am. Since our flight would be around 12.30, we figured that we would have enough time to go to the airport.

It was already past noon when we stepped out from the train station. Stop by the Marcedona (another supermarket) near the train station and bought mineral water, bread and other necessities. The price here was slightly higher than super marcedonia in Sevilla. We stopped by a stall selling ice-cream and the temptation to eat ice cream was so great. So we bought a cone each. Just like when we were in Sevilla. Jules bought grande with two bolas hahaha.

We decided to rest a while before starting our journey to Albayzin. Although there are buses to the settlement, we decided to just explore the old quarters on foot. That way we can admire the houses and huff and puff while going uphill. Later enjoy the spactacular Alhambra view from there.

So, after performing solat jama' zuhr and asar, we prepared some tuna bread and bottle water, we started our journey following the tourists map and my lonely planet guide.

We enter the Albayzin through Santa Ana, where the cobblestone road became narrow with buildings on the left side and river Darro on the right side. The road was so narrowed that only one vehicle can pass by on the one way road. However due to high number of tourists walking along the road, even cars and buses had to make way for the slow-paced people.

There were many cats and ducks turning the river banks as their permanent residents. So many people would stop by and just looked down to watch the cats antics. They were cute with tails straight up and wagging, watching the tourists watching them with hope that one of these two legged non-fur creatures would throw some goodies like tunas and crackers for them, instead of trying to imitate the purring or spitting at them.

From there we followed the map uphill as short cut to San Sabastian and to the newly built masjid which name we did not know yet. The cobblestone lane were narrower here and more steep. We just concentrated on not to slip and fall flat on our faces.

We stopped at one clearing where quite hidden from the tourists but still can enjoy the view of Alhambra. It was getting hotter by minute so we decided to just find the mosque.

We made several wrong turns and were already sweating when we finally found the masjid, tucked between houses and have the most splandid view of Alhambra.

It was small yet beautiful masjid, the entrance is on the side and once visitor stepped in, they will be greeted with a garden and view of Alhambra. At the gate, there is one sign welcoming visitors to the Mezquita Mayor de Granada and the dos and donts in the masjid's compound.

My heart started to pound just as my feet walked along the garden to the entrance of the masjid. With "bismillah" I stepped inside the masjid's entrance to the ablution area for muslim. There the area was cordonned off for visitors.

We met a person that we assumed the caretaker of the masjid and Jules gave salam to him. He looked at us suspiciously and when we motioned solat and mentioned muslimah.. he was convinced that we are muslimah and finally answered our salam and showed us the door to muslimah.

Yesterday, Jules received news that her aunt passed away so she was very badly want to read the yaasin for the deceased. Both of us did not bring along our yaasin doa book with us and hoped to be able to read yaasin in the masjid.

Mr Cabre, as we learnt his name afterwards, told us that we can take our ablution at the special ablution area for muslimah at the lower ground and performed our solat.

The spiral marbled stairs brought us down to the huge room for ablution, toilets and shower rooms. As a muslim practice, each stalls have their own water hose for cleaning. I felt very humbled to be given the opportunity to perform my solat on this Andalus land that have not heard a single azan for the past 500 years.

Now, like a drop of gem from heavan, Islam had started its mark on the land where the Muslim empayar once ruled. My tears trickled while I was performing my solat sunnat masjid and once again solat Asar. Ya Allah.. The Most gracious, thank You for giving me the opportunity to kneel to You.... in this land where the call of muazzin was absence before, where Your house of worships were raided and converted. On the land that was once before blessed with knowledge, culture and peace. Where Islam was once flourished.

It was already 6pm when we decided to leave the masjid. Our tiring journey had all paid off. Our wish to solat in the masjid was fulfilled and today I felt my journey was completed.

We went down a different path. There were a few tourists in front of us and we decided to follow them. I still have my map and Lonely Planet guide with me so I don't think that we will get lost in this maze of small lanes in Albayzin. Unlike the mat salleh tourists who kind of running down the steps, we savoured every step down the path.

There was a procession at one of the old church in Albayzin and we decided to walk faster not to have the procession ahead of us. Finally we reached the end of the lane where houses were replaced with shops selling souvenirs, tapas bars and restaurants.

It was already 7pm and there were too many tourists here. We found our way out of the busy lane to the business district area where chic boutiques were still opened despite the time that was already 7pm.

We checked out the windows and stopped by at almost every shops selling clothes as Jules wanted to buy Ardie slacks or jeans. They still have sales going on. We browsed the stores and finally stopped at one shop selling bags.

The shops selling assorted bags from fine piel to cheap bags. Jules was attracted to the red bag while I like a patched like bag either in blue, cream or black choices.

It was only EUR16 (after sales) and I could not decide which I like. Blue was common, black can match with everything but I have many things in black so I choose cream colour.

It was just my day today. I finally bought a bag (with many compartments) that I can use for leisure or to the office. Yea!

More shopping.. bought some tshirts for the nephews and nieces and meself. More bells, keychain and some souvenirs to friends in the office.