We had to rush to get to the Alhambra as we had purchased advance tickets online and our window of time to pick the tickets up was between 1:00pm-1:30pm. They clearly indicated arriving after your ½ hour window would not allow you entrance as they only allow 300 people in per ½ hour. Talk about being busy!! So Chris quickly ran out into the area around the train station to see if we could find a hotel nearby where we could drop our bags off and then boot it to the palace but he had no such luck. There were no hostels or hotels anywhere within the immediate vicinity of the train station which we found rather odd and the few that he did find some distance away would have been quite a hassle to get to as the main street leading to them was under construction for the development of a new tram. Don’t think our poor wheels to our bags would have survived the rubble and rocks we would have encountered to get there.
We quickly decided to leave our bags at the train station and made our way to the Alhambra. With no tourist information office nearby, we used the signs on the streets to get to the palace thinking this would make sense. Well obviously the city of Granada either has to re-look at their signage throughout the city or have a tourist information office at the train station as a sign that we had followed that clearly read Alhambra and pointed down the street to the right was completely wrong. After around 10 minutes of walking and not coming across any more signs, we decided it might be best to ask to make sure we were going in the right direction…which we found out we were NOT!! Two women later, we finally made it to the main street we should have been walking down to get to the main city centre where we could hike up to the palace or catch a bus. The time now being 12:45pm, we decided to take the bus although the hike up would have been a great work out. We got to the ticket window in time and couldn’t wait to enter this masterful piece of architecture.
The Alhambra was built during the Nasrid dynasty, who ruled from 1238 to 1492 when Granada fell to the Catholic Monarchs. The palace was built under Ismail I, Yusuf I, and Muhammad V where they seeked to create an image of waning power and therefore built their idea of paradise on earth The palace itself is built from very modest materials such as plaster, timber, and tiles but the way in which they were used is superb. The palace grounds are very large and the setting in which this palace sits is what makes it such a sensual piece of architecture. Set atop the highest hilltop in Granada, the Alhambra looms over the city reiterating its image as a powerful place. The palace grounds consist of various buildings including the Alcazaba (Alhambra’s defensive fortress), the centerpiece of the Alhambra, the Nasrid Palace (where Granada’s Muslim rulers lived), the Palace of Charles V (home of the Catholic king who overtook the Muslim dynasty) and the Generalife (the palace gardens).
ALCAZABA
NASRID PALACE
Chris and I spent an easy 4 hours wandering the grounds of this palace and easily got lost within its various areas. From the intricate detailed interior of the palace to the many little gardens and fountains in the exterior, one can spend a full day here if they wanted to, to fully appreciate the architecture and layout of this amazing place. Our favorite part of the visit though, even more so than the Nasrid Palace itself which has undergone some damage due to decay and pillage, was our time in the Generalife, the palace gardens. This felt like an entirely separate part of the palace although it was connected to the same grounds as the palace itself. The gardens were higher up on the hilltop and were absolutely gorgeous. The well kept gardens, the blooming flowers, the scents of various foliage and the use of different sounds of water throughout the gardens was amazing. It was a very romantic place to just stroll and take in the fabulous view of Granada below. It was a perfect way to end our visit to this magical place.
GENERALIFE
One of many beautiful gardens in the Generalife
We were not planning on spending the night in Granada as we had planned to catch the 8pm train that evening to Seville, our next stop in Spain, and use this as our next stop for a few days. But our droopy blood shot eyes and tired bodies, begged to differ. With our bags safe at the train station, we decided to find a place to sleep and rest. We lucked out and found an AWESOME place to rest our heads at Hostel Olympia for 25 Euros a night. It was the best 25 Euros we had spent in a very long time.
Tomorrow we are off to Seville, the most andaluz of the Andalucian cities. It’s a place we are looking forward to visiting and spending a few days in as this is the place where my best friends, Tony & Wendy truly felt they had arrived in Spain.
Until then buenas nochoes everyone, tengo sueno…
Roaming Ravy…
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