Granada

After spending over a week in the Costa del Sol area, Rob and I were ready to explore new territories. We booked a trip to Tangier, Morocco (which later got cancelled due to “stormy seas” – whatever) and planned a road trip to Granada!

We rented a car via Yellow Car – slightly more expensive than other rental companies in the area, but the price is all-inclusive, meaning no suprises. We paid 57 Euro for a Fiat Panda for one day (a loose 24-hour period). Leaving on Thursday we packed up, drove to Granada, hung out a bit (drinking chocolate and eating churros) before spending the night a little outside of the city. We then took the full next day to explore. My must-see was, of course, the Alhambra. Being a Spanish minor, I have been exposed to all sorts of images, cultural info, and general hoity-toity-ness surrounding the place. We headed there first thing in the morning, paid our 13 Euro (forgot to ask for a student discount!), and spent the next three or so hours wandering around the vast grounds of the Alhambra.

Something to note: the Alhambra is split into a few parts. Look at the website and figure out which segment (and what time of day) you want to visit before purchasing tickets. We bought the general admission ticket which gets you into Los Palacios Nazaries, the majority of the buildings overlooking the white buildings of Granada and Rondo.

It was majestic. The ancient structures were gorgeous with super-intricate ornamentation of carved stone and tile patterns, all done by hand. The scale of the Alhambra is mind-blowing – room after room after patio after garden of planned, highly detailed design.

A small source of dissapointment was the damage and general wear-and-tear that has stripped the Alhambra of the vibrant color it used to have. You can still see traces of it in sheltered spots of the Palace, so imagination can sort of bring it back.

There are definitely restoration teams working on the joint, though the focus when we were there was on the lion statues, not so much the tiling.

After the Alhambra, we headed into town. We parked in a quieter neighborhood than the busier downtown-y spot we visited the previous night. Bocadillos (simple sandwiches) were ordered: mine being tortilla (egg & potato omelette sandwich) and Rob´s being turkey and cheese (lomo con queso). I´ll probably create another post on cheap food in Spain, but Bocadillos are everywhere, and can suit all taste buds (even veg ones!). Plus you usually won´t be caught paying more than 3 Euro for them.