We caught the bus from Motril to Granada, about 5.4 Euros each. Once there, we knew from our map that the 'Estacion Autobus' was far from our Hotel San Anton so we caught a taxi. Our Hotel included a tour with an English speaking guide to Alhambra for the next day. That was a great way to get a ticket, otherwise you have to go early in the morning and wait in line since they only allow 350 visitors per half hour. So we checked in and headed out to check out the town. We found the Royal Chapel (see photo with John on the steps...it is huge) where Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand are laid to rest. There are four royal tombs carved in 1521 from Italian marble...quite impressive. Then you go downstairs and see the actual coffins. You think, "These are the people who made Spain what it is and gave Christopher Columbus the Go Ahead"...amazing. We dodged the gypsies who offer you a twig of some herb in exchange for a fortune telling and then expect payment...mucho payment. We finished strolling through the shops and the Plaza's and stopped for a beer and a coke light.
We went to a grocery store as we enjoy doing. They had the perfect Rum and Coke combo pack for only 12.45 Euros...just waiting for John. Waiting for Jodi...twisted Cheetos!
We wanted to see a Flamengo show but they were on holiday so we headed back to the hotel to watch CNN...the only English channel on TV. The hotel had a beautiful view of Alhambra and the river. John got a great photo of it at night (see photo).
As we were waiting for the tour bus the next day I went into the gift shop to browse. I had my camera around my neck and the gentlemen behind the counter got all excited as he took out his camera to show me that it was similar to mine. I just thought he was a big goofy but then he handed me one of those city guides for Granada and in our broken languages to each other, he explained that he was the photographer for that book. He insisted that I take the book and not pay him for it. I told him no but he insisted. It is a beautiful book and I will treasure it forever. Did you know Granada is at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range? They get snow there and people go there to ski. It was so hot that it was hard to imagine snow falling but it reminded us of home.
The Alhambra is the Moorish/Christian Castle built by the Nazarids when Granada was the regional capital of Spain. The Moors are actually the Muslims for those of you who don't know...I didn't know at first. Then when the Christians took over in 1492 Charles V built his own palace by taxing the muslims. The funny thing about the whole thing, he never lived there. The capital moved to Madrid and the work on the palace stopped.
The reflecting pool (see the photo) really is green. They leave the algae in it so it will reflect better is what we were told. It is a beautiful place with beautiful gardens and a stark contrast between the Moorish Palace and the Christian Palace. The shield photo (see photo) is only one of 9,000 times it is repeated in the palace...in Arabic it says "Only Allah is Victorious". It was here at Alhambra that Columbus asked Isabel and Ferdinand to finance a sea voyage to the Orient.
On the way down the hill, the streets were lined with park benches...the problem was one side was shorter than the other. I guess that is to compensate for the steep hill???
The town has no metro but plenty of taxis or buses are always available. It has quite the European flavor to it which we loved. Having dinner or a late night snack while people watching is just great fun...apparently the locals love it too. You would see four elderly gentlemen enjoying the evening together on a park bench...also people watching. They really do take their siestas seriously. Everything (except the grocery store) and I mean everything closes around 1pm and does not open again until somewhere between 4 and 6pm. At one point we were walking along and realized there was nobody around us...just like the world stops!!!
We really enjoyed Granada!
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