Granada!

I wish I had a photo of Joe's car. It is not a particularly large car, but it has a magical third row that can fold down in the far back, which has allowed the 7 of us to make a number of fun trips, including the trip to Cordoba, without needing public transportation or hiring a taxi. But the car really outdid itself on Saturday when it fit Alison -- making 8! -- for our trip to the great Andalusian city of Granada.

Granada is just an hour north. Joe had taken me there to buy a guitar. We also had visited the science museum with the children. I think because of its historical vibe, Abby and I have felt more attached to Granada than to Malaga, which is also just an hour away. Oddly, then, we hadn't visited the historical parts of Granada yet. But Alison's visit convinced us it was time finally to fix that. So we set off, all 8 of us, to visit the Alhambra -- the 13th century Arabic palace and castle that is a UN World Heritage site and the historical gem of this region.

We didn't have tickets, which are limited and must be ordered well in advance, but the free portions of the Alhambra are worth seeing on their own. There are beautiful details on many of the buildings within the walls--various towers, a church and convent (the Christians took it over), a bathhouse, etc--and throughout the gardens.

This is where we entered, the Tower of Justice:

            

 

            

The children at times seemed most interested in the cats we also saw along the walk, but they were all good sports. Charlotte and Cy were even willing to be quizzed again on column capitals.

No single building (in the part we saw) wowed us quite like La Mezquita in Cordoba, but what amazes about the Alhambra is its sheer size, overall layout, and its history, and the way it is situated so impressively on a ridge above the city. That last fact we didn't appreciate fully until we made the walk downhill and up the next hill over into the Albaicin neighborhood, which allowed us to look back at the Alhambra. That's the image at the top of this post, but also see the image below of Cyrus with the Alhambra in the background.

At some point I mentioned to Alison that our old Yale friend, Hussein Fancy, had written a history book about Arabic soldiers from Granada who went to offer their services to the Christian king of Aragon, in (maybe) the 14th century. If you're curious, click here:

Later in the day I got a notification from Facebook that it was Hussein's birthday and I should let him know that I was thinking about him. In this case I truthfully was! I think I will buy Hussein's book, and one of the books on Cordoba I found after that visit, to learn more about the medieval history of this region which is so fascinating.

Anyway, Albaicin is an old neighborhood of whitewashed buildings that winds up a hill along narrow streets, and is filled with shops and street artists and musicians. At the top is the Mirador San Nicolas, a lookout area that shows the Alhambra in all its glory. To add to the view, the peaks of the Sierra Nevadas in the distance were already accumulating snow.

       

     

This is the scene at the Mirador San Nicolas. A flamenco player entertained the tourists and various artisans sold their goods. The Alhambra is off to the right across a gorge.

Here is that pic of Cy with the Alhambra in the background. You really have to see it in person. When you first come to the Mirador and look across at the palace, it is breathtaking.

We decided at this point to drive to the town La Herradura (back near Almunecar). We were starting to flag, and La Herradura promised ice cream for some of us and a futbol match featuring our local team, CD Almunecar City, for others. This meant walking back down one hill and up the other to the parking lot behind the Alhambra. But it went well. Again, the children were great. They enjoyed the shops. Eva got a henna drawing on her arm. And we all enjoyed walking through the lush wooded area around the Alhambra. Here are a couple of photos from the way back down in the Albaicin:

        

Hopefully the photos convey what a beautiful day it was for this outing. Just lovely. We were so glad finally to have explored the older parts of Granada that are so famous here.

Because it had been so sunny we were then surprised to notice as we approached the coast that the Mediterranean and the coastal towns seemed to be engulfed by a cloud. As we approached La Herradura, we could barely make out the stadium lights through the fog, and the sea was not visible even from the beach. Wild! But we stuck to our plan -- and the soccer game had not been cancelled.

We caught only the second half, but it was good to see our team pull out the 13-0 win. Or at least it was good to see the part of the field we could see in the fog. (More on this team some other time -- it is brand new and aspires to rise to higher levels, but it must start at the very lowest rung of the Spanish futbol leagues. Joe and I are both big fans.)

And that was that. We went grocery shopping on the way home and at least one of us went straight to bed after a full and rewarding day!

--Piers