Honeymoon in Spain – Granada
May 10
Granada, Spain
Granada, Spanish for pomegranate.
I had heard the gypsies living in Granada are magical pickpockets living in caves, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Alas, we made it out with our wallets. The whole trip I’d been nervous about pickpockets (note how I am clutching my bag in almost all our photos), but on one particular adventure to a lookout point in Granada, I was overwhelmed by the thought that here, walking through the residential alleyways with tucked in doorways, that they (whoever “they” are) were just going to beat me and steal my bag, shoes, and fake ring (yes, I wore a fake wedding ring … and yes, it was ridiculously huge). And like most of the trip, my fears never came to fruition (although I won’t discredit the importance of being aware of your surroundings, I may have been a bit overzealous). We made it to the lookout and it was spectacular. It looks out over the city, the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevadas. We got smoothies, took in the view, hung out with the hippies and admired Saint Nick’s tomb before heading back down.
Enjoying the view. Worth risking your life for.
Where our hotel was, it was a row of buildings, a one-way cobbled road, then a drop off/bridge to a waterway. Living along the waterway was a community of ferral cats. One of my favorite “memory photos” was two kitties curled up into a perfect (…or purfect …) circle together.
The hotel was just lovely. (Joe selected all our hotels and did an amazing job.) The lobby was an open air space with the rooms surrounding it. Our room was straight out of an IKEA catalog (love it), spacious, modern and had a view of the Alhambra.
We spent the day wandering around and stopped in at the Granada Cathedral. Giant, breezy, and bright describe this cathedral … which was a nice change of pace from the dark Sevilla Cathedral. Granada was a populous Moorish town before the Christians took it over and the Christians proudly display their victory here. One of the wall sculptures was of a horseback Catholic warrior crushing a Moore beneath the foot of his horse. Delightful. Getting past that, there was the most beautiful ceiling of bright blue with gold stars. I was mesmerized.
Granada Cathedral
For dinner, we had read about a wonderful rooftop hotel restaurant. We found the hotel, but couldn’t find the restaurant. After a little wandering and sticking our heads in random rooms, we found it. And there was no one there. A French couple joined us a little later and unsure of where the waiter was, I handed out the menus. Eventually the waiter appeared (with menus). I had a layered eggplant and potato? puree dish with marinara and Joe had lamb with a fig sauce. For dessert we ordered their specialty “bon bon” – having no idea what it was. Turned out to be a layered chocolate gelatin-like dessert. Crazy delicious. Over the course of our two hour dinner, there was never anyone other than the four of us.
“This was really nice. Just you, me and the French.” -Joe
Enjoying a delicious cup of cafe con leche
May 12
Granada, Spain
Our second day in Granada was dedicated to the Alhambra. They only let so many people in during a day and at certain times. Knowing this we got there plenty early. The problem is, that the grounds are divided up – so just because you gave your ticket to one guard, that doesn’t mean you’re done. Yeah … we’re leisurely wandering the gardens when we realize thanks to a poorly placed map and a (sort of) English speaking security guard that we have to go about half a mile in just a few minutes to get to the timed tour. Ugh. I kid you not, if you don’t get to the second gate by the time on your ticket, you don’t get in. This is considered a runner up wonder of the world … you don’t go to Spain, with a ticket to the Alhambra and not see the Alhambra. Fortunately, we made it.
The Alhambra was stunning. Like the Royal Alcazar in Sevilla, the walls are drenched in detailed geometric shapes.
The walls of the Alhambra
Although this was not where the Spanish Inquisition was led from, it was where the Moors surrendered. We stood in the very room. How incredibly surreal. In fact, when Isabella and Ferdinand arrived in Granada, the land was covered in the heads of Moors on sticks. How lovely.
One of the rooms had the most incredible ceiling. It was … hard to explain … cupped out to form a sphere …
Seriously?
Seriously.
One interesting element is that there is water flowing throughout the property. The Moors had a fascination with water since where they originated from lacked water. The water throughout is moving, although in many spots it’s moving so slowly, you can’t see the movement with your eyes.
