Granada - Loving It!

Ok, I am a little bummed because when I was working out my plans for this trip, I was going to spend more time in Granada. Then it got too complicated and I settled on a month and a half in Sevilla before heading up north to Madrid and Barcelona. Now I kind of regret that decision. I really love Granada.

I liked it from the moment I arrived and the taxi driver was actually nice. He asked me if it was my first time in Granada. I told him it was my first time in Spain. He pointed out things on the way, like the bull ring, and told me to drink beer.

I like the weather. It´s cooler than Seville, even though it is still nice and warm and sunny during the day.

But the thing I love the most is there is so much here. I am sure I am only scratching the surface.

Yesterday, I didn't know where I was or where I was going, but I had fun exploring the area around my hotel, the cathedral, etc. I wanted to walk to the Albacyin, the old neighborhood where the muslims lived before they were expelled, but I couldn't find it. Still I had fun.

Last night, when I got back to my hotel room, I opened my Lonely Planet and my maps and by reading and looking at the map, I was able to get my bearings and saw that I was walking in a completely different direction than I wanted to go.

So, this morning, I got up, had churros and chocolate for breakfast (because that is what people do) and then went to the cathedral to get on the Turibus. I don't know what it is called, but it was Turibus in Mexico and I liked that name. It's a double decker bus that goes around the city past all of the major sights. I thought it would be a good way for me to see where I wanted to go and also I had a reservation for the Alhambra at 6:30 and I thought it would be a good way to get up the hill.

So around we went, past churches, up the hill to the Alhambra, past the bull ring and the house where Federico Garcia Lorca hung out before he was shot by the nationalists during the Civil War and finally back again to the cathedral. The entire trip took an hour and a half.

From there, I decided to head up to the Albacyin. It was a nice walk along a little river with the Alhambra hanging on a cliff on the other side. I caught a little bus that took me up to the top where I got off and made my way back down again. It was fascinating and beautiful and magical and also kind of sad. It is hard for me to visit places like this and not think about the cultures that flourised there before. I was thinking about the time when Muslims, Jews and Christians all got along and then for whatever reason, it all changed, and the Christians regained power and they expelled or forced people to convert or killed them. And now, look where we are. Christians fighting Muslims with Jews as surrogates and everyone hating everyone else. What a mess.

Anyway, I loved the Albacyin. I stopped for lunch and then went back to my hotel for a siesta.

After my siesta I decided to head up to the Alhambra. Even though my ticket to enter the Nazaries Palace was for 6:30, there were other things I could see and kill time with. I stopped first for some tapas and sangria, and about 4:30, got back on the Turibus to head up the hill.

I thought I was so cool because I made my reservation for 6:30 and I thought I would have the whole place to myself. Indeed it seemed that way. When I arrived there was no line to get pre-reserved tickets, I just whizzed up to the machine, inserted my credit card that I made the reservation with and out came my ticket.

I headed first to the Generalife, a big garden that has some meaning that I am not sure of and don't really care. I was just killing time with all of the Spanish stuff that was added later on after the Muslims were expelled until I could see what is billed as the most beautiful Arab palace in the world!

I saw some castle, some church, some other building, the gardens, and finally it was almost time for me to enter. There were a bunch of people hanging around in the big courtyard near the entrance to the Nazaries Palace, and when the call was made for people with 6:30 entrance tickets, suddenly the ground shook as everyone stood up and like a stampede, went and got in line.

I knew the line moved really slowly and didn't want to stand. My strategy was to get at the rear and let everyone filter through so that I would have the place pretty much to myself.

Well, I did get at the end of the line but I didn't have the place pretty much to myself. There were still quite a few people, including several really annoying kids who were just bored and cranky and making a lot of noise.

In spite of the crowds, which would have been ten times worse had I been there in the morning with the tour groups and the guides speaking several languages, the place was incredible. I thought maybe the Alcazar in Seville might be more beautiful since it was built after the Alhambra and artists were brought from Granada to help build it, but the Alhambra really is the most beautiful Arab palace in the world (at least from the two I have seen). It was also good being there as the sun was moving down in the sky and pink clouds began to appear as thousands of sparrows flew around in all directions and made a cacophony of sound. I took so many pictures my memory card and my extra memory cards were full. I need to think what I will do in Rome if I am going to be so shutter happy and not be able to upload photos to the web and delete them from my memory card.

Well, anyway, I was very satisfied and really happy with my Granada trip.

I left the Alhambra, almost alone, and headed down the hill through a beautiful park until I reached Plaza Nueva, which is where the Albacyin begins.

Earlier in the day I was wandering some back streets that go up from Plaza Nueva and I found several Morrocan and Lebonese restaurants. I decided I needed a switch from tapas, especially since many of the tapas I have had have been really high on the salt content.

I went to a little place that is recommended by Lonely Planet (I know because they have it on their sign outside) and had an "arab salad", which I think was kind of like tabouli without the bulgher wheat (I don't know how to spell that) and I had chicken cous cous. There was a little American family there - very fat dad, mom, son and son's girlfriend. I imagined that son and gf were studying in Spain and mom and dad came for a visit. The parents were drilling the kids about school and career goals. It was kind of funny.

After dinner, I crossed Grand Via, the big boulevard that separates "Muslim Granada" from the "Christian" part (that's what the recording on the turibus said. The difference is apparent. Winding, cobblestoned streets filled with all kinds of merchants, whitewashed houses, and lots of activity, give way to grand old stone structures (many of them seem to be deserted), graffiti and a grid patterned city layout. I like staying in this part of town, but find the upper part much more interesting.

And so, tomorrow I'll hop on the train and return to Seville where the prostitutes will be standing in the middle of my street looking really bored.

I don't have much time left there, but what little time I do have I think I will try to make a few more day trips to some of the white villages I saw on the train and bus coming here. Seville feels like home. My bike is there, my apartment and kitchen are there, and I know my way around enough that there are probably not many new surprises for me there. Granada, while I regret not having more time here, will remain a special place for exactly that reason - I haven't been here long enough to start seeing the grime and grit and get bored with it.

At some point, I hope to come back and one day I would love to have the Alhambra to myself, even if it is only for a few minutes like I did the Alcazar.