If you haven't been to Granada, you ain't seen nada

I'm singin' in...Granada!
Last weekend I had 3 days off, so Laura, Donna and I decided to take a little trip to beautiful Granada. We really wanted to see why the heck people were so fond of this andalusian city. Many said that this city even beat Sevilla. Although I really love Sevilla and appreciate its beauty, I must agree that Granada is magnificent and gorgeous. The Alhambra and its surroundings make up a large part of its beauty. Heads up, lots of pictures coming your way!

During our stay, we slept at a really cheap hostal that was RIGHT IN FRONT of the Alhambra gates. The hostal wasn't a precious hidden jewel, but it was comfortable enough and pretty decent.

If you don't know what building I'm talking about, here's a little bit of info: the Alhambra (it actually means The Red Castle) is an ancient mosque, palace and fortress complex of the Moorish monarchs of Granada, in southern Spain. It was the residence of the Muslim kings of Granada and their court, but is currently a museum exhibiting exquisite Islamic architecture.



First off though, here are some pics of the city centre. Beautiful little bridges, orange trees and colourful buildings...the city centre itself was swarming with people that weekend, and many streets were closed off by police so that the pedestrians would have more room to walk. The night atmosphere was great; shops were open until late and I found a lot of neat little gifts for my friends and loved ones...


Look at this view! Mountains surround Granada and affect its temperatures to a great degree. We had 0 degree temperatures all weekend...it was very cold, but the air was so fresh and pure. I didn't realize until then just how much I missed thick forests and NATURE. Some areas reminded me of Canada and I got a bit homesick...


Here are Laura and Donna (from left to right). Granada had lots of beautiful xmas lights...they really didn't tighten their money belts on that! I enjoyed browsing the shops and streets with my friends, and stopping at tea shops for a nice hot tea. Hmmmmm...lots of good arab tea shops.

Yes, I STILL hate coffee.







I had the brilliant idea of imitating Rocky Balboa when I saw those steps. They just seemed to...call to me. Too bad you can't see me punching the air and grunting like a madwoman, cuz that would have made your day.













I took this picture while standing in the Generalife gardens (and yes it's spelled together like that). There were so many people that it was hard taking good pictures, but I think I managed nicely.

Love those mountains. On the north side, which was to my left here, I took some pictures of mountains with snow at their peaks, but the extreme sun made the snow appear too bright, so unfortunately it wasn't good enough to include.

Still in the gardens...lots of beautiful trimmed hedges and orange trees...The Generalife

Gardens once belonged to the Nasrid Sultans of Granada. It's one of the oldest surviving Moorish gardens.


You can see the Alcazar (fancy word for spanish castle) from where I'm standing here.

Intricate details...it was all very breath-taking. We went from room to room, marvelling at how the conquerors after 1492 tried to deface the Alhambra and change its appearance. Charles V tried to give it a Renaissance style, Phillip V tried to italianise it, etc. Moorish art was further defaced in 1812 when a French Count actually blew up parts of the structures. Sheesh. Even Napoleon wanted to see the whole thing turned to dust, but his plan to blow EVERYTHING up failed when a soldier of his defused the explosives. Way to go, unknown soldier.

So many incredible things...I saw a grand reception room, where once the throne of the sultan was placed opposite the entrance. It was in this setting that Christopher Columbus received Isabel and Ferdinand's support to sail to the New World. Of course, nothing was left in this giant room, but one was able to imagine the excitement and dreams that once brewed in this room.

This amazing area is called The Patio of the Lions. The twelve lions functioned as a clock with water flowing from a different lion each hour. The Christians of the Reconquest took apart the clock to see how it worked and it hasn't worked since. What a pity...

BEAUTIFUL. The fountain was turned off that day since it was really cold, but I can imagine it adding even more splendour to the scenery.

This is a section of the ROOF. How magnificent. There is a fountain in the middle of this hall, and the roof—a dome honeycombed with tiny cells, all different, and said to number 5000—is a great example of the so-called "stalactite vaulting" of the Moors. I was so impressed!

We were really lucky with the weather! Yes, it was very cold and I was sometimes cursing myself for not having brought my mittens, but it was spectacular and I was able to take some nice pictures. We couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Hehehe...oh, and the Alhambra even has some cats. There was a litter of kittens to my right (yes, I did take a pic of an orange one..very cute). The cats were fat, probably from all the food that the tourists were giving them (and being in Spain, that means Spanish Tortilla!!). Those cats really DO live like royalty.

This was the patio of Charles V. There were 2 separate little museums off to the left, and I ventured in with my buddies to read up on Christopher Columbus and his voyages, his struggles, and his love for his family. The other museum dealt on Moorish vases, and was actually quite boring (although very important in helping us understand Moorish history, since so many pictures on the vases depict how they lived).

Climbing up the steps of the Alcazar, I snapped this pic. I just can't get over the view.

It was around 6 p.m., the sun was slowly setting and we had already been walking for 4 hours non-stop all over the Alhambra and its surroundings. There is just so much to see and do that it really does take you one full day to see everything. Take your time, bring water and a sandwich, and you're good to go.

Pssst...it's also only 11 euros.

Here I am, at the very top part of the Alcazar, where the view is fantastic and the wind blows strongly. As you can see from my wide grin, I had a great time and felt truly alive. All that cold, fresh air did me a wealth of good. Although I do really hate the cold, it CAN be refreshing and invigorating.

Donna commented that the city looked like doll houses...it all seemed surreal. One thing that one immediately notices about the south of Spain is that most houses and building are white (you can judge for yourself!).

One last pic of the city and its surrounding mountains...

Granada was surely worth it. Definitely a place I wouldn't mind seeing again.

We've got our sights set on Cordoba for January. The plans just never end...and I hope they don't :)

Love you all, and see you all very soon, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2007 xoxox H