Granada

When I was planning a trip to Spain, I knew that I would need to stop in Granada. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to see the Alhambra, the large complex where rulers lived looking over the city. Granada is in the Al-Andalus, or Andalucia nowadays, area of southern Spain that is a blend of cultures. Muslims from the south took over the Christian Visigoths around the 6th century and ruled until they were pushed out by the Christians in the medieval period. Sprinkled into all of this were a seizable population of Jewish people. The end result is a mix of architecture, food, and customs. 

Since I learned the day before that it was a very bad idea to wander around in the heat of the day, I booked an evening tour of a couple areas of Granada. My immediate impression of Granada is that it felt more like Morrocco than Spain. The restaurants seemed to lean more that direction and for dinner I had a tasty falafel pita. The tour took us through two main areas of Granada: the Albacain and Sacremonte. 

Albacain

First, let me tell you it was still hot at 8 pm. Second, let me tell you Granada is not flat. We meandered through streets and climbed up and up and by the time we got to a nice lookout packed with tourists waiting for the sunset, my arm was tired from working my fan so much. The view was spectacular, though, and our guide told us that this spot got popular after Bill Clinton visited it and waxed poetic about the sunset. Ha! 

We saw several ‘Carmens.’ These are white summer houses built by the Muslims. Nowadays they are pretty little getaways tucked into the neighborhood. They have nice patios with plants and grape vines creating a canopy that provides shade and cooler temps in the summer. 

Sacromonte

Sacramonte was the area on the other side of the tracks, or in this case, wall. It was where the less desirable working class folks lived, but the conditions were not great. The people built their houses into the mountains. They are called caves, but I had a hard time distinguishing them because they went horizontally into the mountain instead of vertically down like how I think of caves.

This area has a rich history of flamenco. Our guide explained that the Roma (gypsy) people who lived here are genetically tied to northern India and showed us a fascinating video of two women dancing, one doing flamenco and the other doing an Indian dance. The moves looked strikingly similar. B and I had attended a flamenco show last time we were in Spain and while I was glad I went, I didn’t feel the need to go again this trip. It was well after dark at this point and I was done for so headed back to the hotel instead of town to party. Even though it was around 10:00 pm, the restaurants were hopping. They eat so late here!

Alhambra

I had learned my lesson the day before and took a city bus up to the Alhambra so I didn’t have to walk the hills. My big moment arrived! I was here! For wanting to visit so badly, I knew an embarrassingly little amount about the Alhambra. It is a huge area on the hill with a fortress, wall, gardens, and several palaces. Back in the day several thousand people lived here. It was built my Muslims and looked like it, with geometric shapes, open areas for gardens, intricately carved ceilings and doors. This style of design is called mujedehar and is all over Andalucia. I took a guided tour and learned so much about the place. 

Fun facts:

• Granada was the holdout for the Christians retaking Spain and pushing out the Muslims
• Ferdinand and Isabella succeeded in conquering it, but then once they got there they realized how nice it was and decided they wouldn’t mind living there
• Napolean blew up part of the Alhambra, but fortunately left most of it in tact
• The Summer Palace is part of the Alhambra and is very close to the other buildings. However, it is further up the hill and can be significantlly cooler in the summers so the Richies would go there for the day and then come back to the safety of the other palaces at night. 

I think my biggest takeaway from the Alhambra besides how pretty it was is that I am super impressed with the people who created this area. Because of the plants and open and airy rooms, it smelled great and wasn’t insufferably hot. These people knew what they were doing! 

Hammam

I figured I would be tired after my tour so I went to a hammam. I love hammams. They are weird and uncomfortable but you leave feeling great. This one was a little different because it was mixed gender and didn’t have a crazy amount of steam or heat like others I’ve been to. I did have a nice lady scrub me down and then give me a massage. Lucky for everyone reading this, I did not take any pictures. 😉

Cathedral

The next morning I hit up the Granada cathedral before I left town. The cathedral was huge and inside was mostly white. I really liked how bright and grand it felt. It had two massive baroque organs with ornate gold and angel characters blowing horns. Quite over the top and fancy. Ferdinand and Isabella wanted to be buried in this cathedral, but Isabella died before it was done. There is a separate part, the Royal Chapel, where they now rest. There are four white, ornately carved marble sarcophaguses with their likenesses laying in the middle of the room (the two bonus folks were other later rulers). However, they are actually buried just below the statues in simple silver caskets. 

Granada

After the cathedral I wandered through the city’s bazaar. I am really limited for space so I couldn’t buy anything, but even if I could I doubt I would here. This was a lot like the souks in Morocco or the bazaars in Turkey. Little shops have their goods displayed and there aren’t prices to be seen anywhere. I am hopeless at bartering and would rather not get something than have to ask and negotiate a deal. 

I’m so glad I made it to Granada. It was hot, but I survived and now know what this town is like IRL.