Granada, Spanish for pomegranate, was my first stop on my travels after Alcala. I had been looking forward to visiting Andalucia for awhile; Carrie, my best friend who studied in Sevilla for a semester, had told me that Andalucia was what most people think of when they think of Spain. Granada is full of gypsies, flamenco, Spanish guitar, is the capitol of tapas and Muslim influence in Spain. Carlos had also recommended if we see any other city in Spain for it to be Granada. So, I decided that instead of only having a day trip from Sevilla, to spend my first night in there.
Due to some late bus-ticket-buying, I had a shorter time in Granada then I had originally planned....something I really regret. This has been my absolute favorite city (other than Madrid, of course) in Spain. Segovia comes close, but the rocky hills painted with white houses and winding streets, all overseen by the monstrous Alhambra leaves little to be imagined.
To visit the Alhambra, you must first buy your ticket in advanced, which includes a specific ticket to the Palacios Nazaries. There is only a thirty minute window in which you can go into this area--the highlight of the Alhambra. When I arrived in Granada, it was about 100F at about 2pm (Granada is one of the hottest places in Spain), and I decided to try walking to the center. After 20min of walking in the blistering sun, I checked my book and realized the bus station was about 4km outside of town--way too far to walk during midday. I turned around, went back to the station, and got a taxi. Usually I try to avoid taxis, because the bus is so cheap and walking provides a great way to explore the city. But as my time was quickly approaching to enter the Palacios Nazaries, I decided to hurry.
The Alhambra itself took about 30 minutes to walk to (all uphill, but luckily under the shade of a forest). Navigating around the grounds was even more difficult, but eventually I found the ticket booth (of course they had trouble finding my booking) and entered the Palacios Nazaries (of course I entered the wrong place with 5 minutes left in my time frame, and had to forfeit seeing that area altogether to rush to the right place).
The Alhambra is the largest Mosque in Europe and was the residing place of most of the Muslim leaders during their nearly 800 year presence in Spain; it is the culmination of all Arabic culture in Spain. It was absolutely breaktaking---the delicate handcrafted designs, the arched doorways, and intricate gardens were hypnotizing. But perhaps the best aspect of the Alhambra is the view of it you can have from either Generalife (the main gardens) or from El Mirador de San Salvador, directly uphill from my hostel and across from the Alhambra landscape. I purposefully planned my trip to this spot at dusk to see the wonderful views, and it was worth the pain. Gorgeous. When I get to post pictures, youĺl be blown away. Amazing.
Even though I didn´t really get to explore the Albayzin (Arabic neighboorhood), I still enjoyed Granada tremendously; it will be the first place I visit the next time I come to Spain (because there will be a next time). There is still so much left to be seen. One thing I´ve noticed about traveling is that confusing transportation, a bad hostel, or a walk in the wrong neighborhood all have the potential to alter your opinion of a city for the worst (like Valencia, and as Iĺl explain later, Barcelona to a degree). Despite all the difficulties I had in Granada, it is still one of my favorite places, which to me reveals how lovely the city really is. It was still capable of enchanting me even though it was a rough trip.
