Granada - The Alhambra (Throwback post)

So I said before that I worry when coming to places this well known and this hyped, that they will not live up to expectations. That certainly was not the case here. In fact, I had no idea just how much there is here and how truly beautiful it is.

We had booked our main tickets in advance, which wasn't so important at this time of year, but is still sensible, and is essential in the peak season. However we decided we would go twice, one during the day, and once at night. If you have the time, I would highly recommend it, as you get a completely different feel in the light and the dark.

We happened to go to the evening one first, and I think this worked well. You get to feel the atmosphere at night more, which gives you a better first impression and there are significantly fewer people here with you.

Also, whereas in the day, it is a one way route through the palace, in the evening, you only see the main areas, so you go out the way you came in. This is particularly good if you are looking to take photos, as it not only gives you the chance to go back when areas are at their emptiest for photos, it also means that you have a good chance to think about what photos you might want when you go during the day, so you know where to focus your time.

Sadly, my little point and shoot, combined with my lack of camera skills and no tripods allowed, meant that my photos are great, especially the night ones, but I can promise you that the images in my head are wonderful.

There have been buildings at the Alhambra since around the 9th century, but the citadel and palaces that we would recognise today, were started in 1238 by Al Ahmar, the founder of the Nasrid Dynasty.

The complex is huge, so do leave yourself plenty of time for the daytime visit. The main famous bit is the Nasrid Palace, with its stunning carved walls and ceilings, and lovely courtyard. But there are other palaces, the Alcazaba, the Generalife, and a host of smaller bits to look at too.

You can roam around most of it at leisure - the only specifically timed entry is that to the Nasrid Palace itself, so you need to think about when you want to do that when you book your tickets. We went up to the top, to the Generalife first. This is a Muslim Palace in a villa style and is impressive in itself, especially with the lovely formal gardens surrounding it.

From there, we headed down to the main complex, and went into the Alcazaba, the fort where the royal guard were stationed to protect the citadel and palaces. Then we were about the right time to join the queue to get into the Nasrid Palace for our allotted time slot, and we did the remaining bits afterwards.

I'm not going to tell you about all of the rooms and so forth, because I can't remember all of it and you really should go to see it yourself.

To be honest, I wasn't even that interested in a lot of the information at the time, I was far too busy just taking in all of the beautiful workmanship. If you have even the vaguest liking for this kind of style or skilled craft, then there just aren't enough superlatives to describe it.

Granada - Town and Tapas (Throwback post)

Granada

From Malaga we were on to Granada, which is one of those places that is very famous for a particular thing, in this case the Alhambra. I always worry when something is so hyped as that, as you never know whether it will match up to the expectations. But you'll get to see what we thought of that in the next post - for now, we're looking at the rest of the city.

San Jeronimo Monastery

We did something in Granada that we don't very often do - we took one of the sightseeing buses. We wouldn't usually bother with them, because you generally have to fit more than we like to into one day, and we can happily get around on local transport.

San Jeronimo Monastery

But on this occasion, we wanted to go to a couple of places a bit further out, with fewer transport options available, and it actually wasn't a bad price. So we hopped on board and listened to the commmentary as we passed through the 'in town' section, before jumping off at the San Jeronimo Monastery.

San Jeronimo Monastery

The Monastery was built around the start of the 16th century, by the Catholic monarchs Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. It is in the Renaissance style, and has a very impressive alterpiece.

San Jeronimo Monastery

The inside is obviously good, but not particularly to my taste. I did however really like the courtyards, with their arches and orange trees.

San Jeronimo Monastery

San Jeronimo Monastery

San Jeronimo Monastery

Cartuja Monastery

Back on the bus, our next stop was another monastery, this time the Cartuja Monastery. Built around the same time as the last one, this one is in the Baroque style. Again, it is impressive inside, and again, not really my kind of thing. No photos allowed inside this one.

Cartuja Monastery

Cartuja Monastery

Cartuja Monastery

What I did love seeing here, and was allowed to take a photo of, was a peach tree in the courtyard. That is my first peach tree sighting, and little things like that can make me surprisingly happy!

Granada Bullring

At this point, our sightseeing bus let us down. We saw the one we were planning to get go past, quite a bit ahead of schedule, and there was a huge gap to the next one. Rather than just stand around in the sun for ages, we decided to walk on to the bull ring. It wasn't necessarily on our list of things to see, but it was on the bus route, so we could get on there instead.

Granada Bullring

The bull ring here is massive, built in 1928, with a capacity of 14,500. We didn't go inside though, as it is still used for bullfights, and we can't condone that. Bull fighting is one of those difficult areas where it can be hard to draw a line between respecting the culture and traditions of another country and the rights of the animal. But whilst I may not feel I can try to prevent it, I can certainly boycott anywhere that makes money from it.

St Nicholas Church, Granada

I suspect I would find it marginally less unpalatable if it were at least a fair fight, rather than them bleeding the bull first to sap its strength. At least then, the skill of the matador against a fully fit and healthy bull could be something to be admired. I still don't think I could support an event where the aim is to kill an animal for fun though. I have to admit that I was rather pleased to see in the news recently that one of the bulls had managed to turn the tables and kill the matador.

View from St Nicholas Church, Granada

Anyhow, enough of that, on with the tour. That was our final stop on the bus, but we did get a local bus up to the Saint Nicholas Church, where there is an excellent spot to get a view of the Alhambra and Generalife.

Albaycin, Granada

We walked back down through the old Arab area of Albaycin, with its multitude of little white buildings and, as you get further towards the bottom, teahouses and shops selling colourful lanterns and other Moorish souvenirs.

Albaycin, Granada

Albaycin, Granada

Albaycin, Granada

Granada Cathedral

Finally, on the tourist trail, we popped inside the Cathedral. We also took a wander around the nearby shops - when they weren't inconveniently closed for length siestas that is.

Granada Cathedral

I understand the idea of a siesta traditionally, but I can't see why it is necessary in the winter months, when it really isn't all that hot

Granada

Of course, after all of that sightseeing, we need to be fed and watered, and Granada is just the place to do that cheaply. The drinks aren't exactly expensive anyway and, if you go to the right bars, (which is most of them,) then with every drink you buy, you get a free tapa. they aren't the most exciting ones - they are often tostadas and montaditos, but they will certainly leave you well fed.

Bodegas Castenada, Granada

Unfortunately, with my tricky eating habits, I often found I couldn't eat what can, often due to a large dollop of mayonnaise being included. Many places were pretty good with that, and if I told them I couldn't eat it beforehand, then would adapt it slightly.

Bodegas Castenada, Granada

A couple were excellent, and went above and beyond to check everything and if necessary, give me something completely different, or even just me choose. But quite seriously, if you are someone who will happily eat most things, then don't bother buying meals here, just buy drinks and eat for free.

One place that sadly didn't offer anything much in the way of free tapas, but was a lovely little old style bar, with great Spanish wines served direct from the barrels, was Bodegas Castenada, close to where we were staying and not far from the Cathedral.

Bodegas Castenada, Granada

We also discovered that you could also bring along your own plastic bottle to get filled with wines for takeaway, at a ridiculously low price. We had to buy a bottle the first time, but after that we were sorted for drinks back at the flat.