GRENADA AND THE ALHAMBRA

The next day we left Nerja and headed for Grenada to see the famous palaces of the Alhambra.  It was a pleasant drive on good highway, and we arrived in Grenada in good time. 

As we were navigating our way into the town, we missed on of the turns to get to our destination, so we parked the car and tried to figure out where to go.  We both agreed that the Alhambra could only be a hundred yards up the hill, so we decided to leave the car parked where it was and hike the short distance up the hill.

An hour later, as we finally got to the information office, we made it.  I strolled up to the information kiosk and asked about Alhambra.  Well, no, the attendant didn’t know any information about Alhambra.  “Interesting…,” I said, “ Is this not the information office?”  “But of course it is,” the attendant replied.  “Well give me information!” I asked.  No, she could only give me information in answer to a question, but, it seems, I had to guess what question she might have the answer to.  I gave up and  walked down the path.  Soon we came to the ticket counter, and we purchased our tickets and arranged for audio equipment, which would give us information about what we were seeing. 

I must say that the Alhambra was wonderful and well worth a visit. This is an amazing preserved palace of Arabian times.  We began our tour by visiting the Alcazaba (fortress), which was built in the Moorish style around 9 AD, made out of red stone and has a remarkable view of the city of Grenada.  Then we stopped in the palace of Carlos V to admire the interior patio, which was a large circle within a square.

At our appointment time we went to the Nazrid palace, where we viewed the intricate geometric designs and carvings and the beautiful fountains and gardens typical of Moorish architecture. 

The last stop on our visit was to the Generalife, a beautiful terraced garden built around many fountains of flowing and jetting water.  What a refreshing and delightful way to end our tour.

As we staggered out of the Alhambra ground, six hours later, we were hot, sweaty, dusty and exhausted.  The thought of hiking down to our car was overwhelming.  We spotted a hotel just across the street and checked in without a second thought.  They were good to let us check in with only the promise of a passport later, and we went to our room for   shower and rest.  Later, in the cool of the evening, I took Don’s gps and navigated my way down the hill to pick up our car.  We were pooped.