When I arrived in Granada, I took the bus to the historical centre. As I stepped off the bus I was aggressively approached by a woman who thrust a sprig of rosemary into my hand saying it was a gift from one of the saints. She then grabbed my hand and spouted some predictions. She then demanded that I let her see my other hand. She spouted some more predictions then demanded money.
I was a little stunned by her approach and I gave her 2 Euros. She continued to hang onto me and demanded more so I gave her another 2 Euros to get her to go away. She kept hanging on and told me this was not Madrid. In Granada, she continued, the price is 5 euros per hand. Are that point I pulled my hand away from her and said no and walked away with her still yelling at me.
Later, both in Granada and in Seville, I continued to see gypsies with sprigs of herbs in their hands approaching tourists. None that I saw were as aggressive as the one who accosted me.
When I was approached I just shook my head and walked away. Most would then say something about wishing blessings for me….makes one wonder if they might not mean the opposite….
