| Erin's Granada Journals 6-12-02 Today we were to see the main attraction of Granada: the Alhambra. It is one of the finest examples of the Moorish architecture and gives a strong reminder of Spain's former rulers. We knew we wanted to get in during the afternoon session, so we headed over around midmorning to reserve tickets. It was a long uphill walk, as the former palace & stronghold commands a great view of the area from its perch on the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range. Once at the ticket office, we had no trouble getting an afternoon spot, and decided to wait at the top of the hill to get in, rather than walk back down and up again in the almost 3 hours we had to wait. Ok, I decided that part. Instead, we found benches in the sun to relax on and enjoy some fresh fruit we'd picked up from local vendors on the way to the hill while we read. Finally 2:30 came around and we entered the gardens, enjoying the long walkways flanked by paths into intricate flowerbeds and fountains & pools filled with goldfish. We eventually arrived at the Palacio de Carlos V, but realized we'd have to go to the Royal House first, as it was the reason for having an appointment - only a few people were let in every half hour to avoid overcrowding in the narrow passageways. The Royal House was gorgeous, but the architecture strongly reminded me of the Alcazar in Sevilla. We'd purchased an audioguide for more info about what we were seeing, but they'd scripted it with scant information and a bunch of crappy over-romanticized poetry, rather than important historical or architectural information, so soon we were both skipping the room descriptions and walking through unguided. After the Royal House, we walked through the Carlos V palace (big, with good accoustics, but totally out of place right next to a Moorish palace!!), then on to the Alcazaba, or fortress portion of the Alhambra. This was the oldest portion and the most military-based in appearance. The bell of the valley-facing tower used to regulate the lives of the residents of Granada, as it was both clock and warning system to the valley. Last but not least, we walked to the other end of the complex to enjoy the gorgeous gardens of the summer palace area. The palace itself was under refurbishment, but the gardens were well worth a little walk. They were the best part of the visit for me. Otherwise, Glenn and I both agreed that Granada was something of an unnecessary stop once we'd seen Sevilla. If you are forced to choose one or the other, go to Sevilla! That's our recommendation. After the long day of walking, the downhill walk was exhausting too, and I was very ready for a break by the time we got back into the city proper. We both wanted hot dogs for some reason, so we stopped at a few places on the way to the hotel, and found one nearby. But it wouldn't be serving food until 9:30pm (it was only 7:30pm, way too early for dinner in Spain!), so we went to the hotel to relax while we waited. At 9:45, we went for our hot dogs (perritos calientes), only to be told they were out of them! We settled for some other food, which was totally unmemorable to me since all I wanted was a hot dog...but we were full afterward and went back to the hotel to read and sip wine we'd gotten at the store and put in our little fridge. Yea! |
| The gardens of the Generalife portion of the Alhambra complex was my favorite part - gorgeous fountains & flowers abounded! |
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