Adventures in Alhambra

We booked our Alhambra tickets in advance and even then there was limited choices. When we booked we wanted the morning slot of 8:30 am to 2 pm. Within that time slot we had a choice of 8:30, 9:00 and 1:30 for a palace visit. Way back then before the pain of the early morning rise, we went with 9:00.

Considering how hot it was yesterday and the loads of people in line at Alhambra we made an excellent decision!

We decided to walk to Alhambra (where most people seemed to take the Alhambra bus) which was a glorious walk where we got some great pictures of the outside of Alhambra (without a ton of tourists in the background.)

Alhambra was a Moorish fortress until the Catholics triumphed against the Muslims and drove them out of Spain.

The Palacios Nazaries is quite beautiful with beautiful enclosed gardens. Every wall is covered with decorative patterns. They had this beautiful stalactite architecture coming from some of the ceilings. In the Grand Hall of the Ambassadors the Moorish King, Boabdil signed the terms of surrender and left for Africa. In that same year, 1492, Christopher Columbus asked King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella (in this same room) for the money to discover America.

The Alcazaba (old fort) within Alhambra afforded us some amazing views of Alhambra.



Better late than never... here are a few pics!





One thing that never ceases to amaze me when I travel is how I come to appreciate some of the traditions that other countries have. For example, siesta time: from 2pm to 5pm the majority of the shops (except those targeting tourists) close. At first this is frustrating but I have grown to enjoy this forced rest time. I mean sure we could have continued to tour around but a rest period is awesome! Next we grabbed some eats: we ate at this awesome smoothie and sandwich place (Greens and Berries) where the waiter asked me what Pavo was in English (I had a turkey sandwich) and he looked at me odd laughed a little and pointed to the table behind us and said "but those people are from Turkey" and walked away. Anyways, Anna and I stopped and hung out in the hotel enjoying our siesta.

We then set out on a self-guided walking tour from the guide book, seeing where there was once a silk market (now a cheap tourist crap market), the smaller chapel, and the large cathedral. The cathedral was built on top of a mosque that was torn down after the Reconquista and is devoted to Mary. We skipped the cathedral and visited just the chapel which was beautiful and the final resting place for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. The chapel had a chest rumored to be the one Queen Isabella filled with jewels to fund Columbus' travels.

In the evening we went out in search of a grocery store which we found in the basement of a department store (a total throw back to Japan for us.) We filled up on cheese, meats (for me), bread, gaspacho and many other things that do not need to be heated up.

On the way back we passed through a market selling candy (like as far as the eye could see), nuts, fruit, and a sugary bread purchased in a pizza box. It was really great to see all the families out buying food and candy for their kids. It was like visiting a real community. And yes, I stopped for candy! It was good candy too!

We are now off for our last leg, to Barcelona! Looks like rain :( but I hold out hope for sunny days!