 |
| The Alhambra from a plaza below it |
Well, now for the good stuff: my trip this last weekend to Granada.
I left Alicante on a bus to Granada at 9:30am on Friday, I wasn't as bold as my fellow Chippewas, who left at 3:30am when they went last month. I went alone, because they had gone already, but I didn't mind at all. Really, it was a great experience because I learned that I can now do that kind of thing without feeling (too) nervous. I arrived in Granada around 2:30pm and the hostel reception was closed from 2 until 5 for lunch and a siesta, so I just explored the beautiful city for awhile and went to the Cathedral (and took some photos even though a sign said not too - I know I'm a terrible person, but it was too beautiful not to take pictures and I did make sure that my flash was off). Once my hostel was open I checked-in and went to my room to drop my stuff off before exploring some more. The hostel, called La Almohada Hospedaje (The Pillow Inn) which was amazing and beautiful; it's a traditional Spanish house, with a patio in the center and everything, which the owner redecorated and reformed it a little. I really liked the key to my room and the whole hotel in general and I was able to get my own room for only €20 (about $28) which I didn't think was all that bad, of course there are cheaper places, but I decided to splurge a little for my own room. I recommend La Almohada Hospedaje if you ever go to Granada.
 |
| Catedral de Granada |
 |
| The key to my room |
 |
| My room |
After checking-in, I went to the Capilla Real (Royal Chapel) where 2 kings, 2 queens and a prince are buried: the Catholic Monarchs, Isabel and Fernando; there daughter Queen Juana I (better known as Juana la Loca) and her husband King Felipe I; and Prince Miquel (of both Portugal and Spain), Isabel's and Fernando's grandson from their oldest daughter Isabel . Being a huge history geek (especially when if comes to Spanish history), I was so excited because Isabel and Fernando played such an important role in the history of Spain. Friday night was a little boring because I decided to hit the hay early because my ticket to the Alhambra was for 9am and they recommend that you get there 30-60 minutes early so I got up at 7:30 and I am not really that much of a morning person.
Granada is best known for the Alhambra, a palace built by the Muslim rulers of Spain in the 800s; originally a small fortress, it became a palace officially in the 1300s after renovations and when the Nasrid dynasty made it their official palace and ergo the capital. after many years of wars between the Christian kingdoms and the Muslim kingdoms, by the late 1400s only Granada remained under Muslim rule, until 1492. We all know the rhyme: "in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue" (which Granada is an important city in the history of Columbus because it was there where Queen Isabel gave him permission for his first voyage), but for Spain 1492 was also the year that Granada, the last Muslim city, was taken by the Catholic Monarchs, Queen Isabel and King Fernando.
So Saturday I got up early and went to the Alhambra, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is so amazing; words cannot describe it. The main attraction is the Nasrid Palace; it is the most beautiful part, the walls are extremely detailed with Arabic and other designs in stucco. There are arches everywhere and I love arches (I know, I'm kind of a geek) and lots of water in various fountains, the most famous is the lion fountain in el Patio de los Leones (the Lion Patio). The Nasrid Palace is breathtakingly beautiful, I would go back in a heartbeat.
 |
| The entrance to the Nasrid Palace |
 |
| Pretty much all of the walls are like this - amazingly detailed with beautiful Arabic calligraphy |
 |
| Patio de los Leones |
 |
| Fuente de los Leones Lion Fountain |
Also in the Alhambra is the Generalife, essentially the palace gardens, but it also contains what used to be the summer home for the kings. Not a lot is in bloom right now, so it seemed a little bear, yet it was still extremely beautiful. The Alcazaba is the fortress part and it has towers you can go up to get great views of the city. And finally the Alhambra has el Palacio de Carlos V (Charles V's Palace - as in Charles V Holy Roman Emperor who was also King of Spain), which acts as a museum of the Alhambra's artifacts. I spent about 3 hours there, which I guess is normal and I understand why, there is so much to see and you definitely do not want to go through it too fast because everything is so beautiful there.
 |
| Lighting is kind of bad, but me at the Generalife with the Nasrid Palace in the background |
 |
| Patio de la Acequia Patio of the Canal |
 |
| Escalera del Aqua Water Stairway |
 |
| Altar of the church in the Alhambra |
 |
| Palacio de Carlos V |
 |
| Entrance to the Alcazaba |
 |
| El Albaicín and Sacromonte from the Alcazaba |
 |
| Interior of the Alcazaba |
 |
| Granada from the Alcazaba |
After the Alhambra, I went to el Museo de las Cuevas del Sacromonte (the Museum of the Sacromonte Cave's). Sacromonte is a mountain on the outskirts of the city and when the Romani (gypsies) began coming to the area, they lived in the caves in the mountain. The museum recreated the caves to make them look like what they did when people lived in them. People still technically live in some of the caves, but they have been remolded to be more like a house than a cave.
 |
| The Alhambra from Sacromonte |
Then on my way down from Sacromonte, I stopped at a museum in the Albaicín (the older part of town) called the Palacio de los Olvidados (the Palace of the Forgotten). It's a museum all about the Jewish culture in Spain before they were expelled from the country, focusing on the Jewish culture in Granada. It was very informative and it was a guided tour, and although I waited about 10 or 15 minutes, no one else came so I had a one on one tour with the tour guide, which was pretty nice because I could ask whatever questions I had.
 |
| Symbol of the Inquisition, which was what caused a lot of the Jews that converted to Christianity to leave Spain and some were even sentenced to death |
 |
| A table with Islamic aspects - it is believed it was made by a Jew because of the Star of David on the bottom |
Then I headed back to the hostel for a little rest then went out for dinner and to see the city at night and it was so cool to see the Alhambra with a full moon (or at least nearly full) behind it, too bad my camera is horrible at taking pictures at night so none of them really turned out so great.
Sunday I slept in after the long day I had on Saturday and since I didn't have anything planned, I simply walked around the city and just went to a few stores and a couple other places of interest such as a park where I could see some of the Sierra Nevada (Snowy Mountains - and rightly named so). Then after a little while, I went to the train station about an hour early (after missing the train in Valencia I did not want to miss the bus). I got back to Alicante around 9:30pm so I basically unpacked and went to bed because I was so exhausted.
 |
| "Granada" means pomegranate in English so you see pomegranates all throughout the city; for example, this pole that separates the street from the sidewalk. |
 |
| Statue/fountain of Queen Isabel giving Columbus permission to go on his first voyage |
 |
| Sierra Nevada |
Nothing too exciting this last week, other than Skyping with my Spanish teacher from high school. This weekend I plan on just relaxing a little after two the trips the last two weekends and I'll probably try to do some reading for my classes.
