Europe with Jessie and Malcolm - Granada

We traveled to Grenada via the relatively forgettable town of Osuna, which the Lonely Planet rated but we didn't feel was worth the detour - although the challenge of simply getting around may have contributed (it was built long before cars were even a gleam in Henry Ford's eye - now everyone there has one!)

We relied on TomTom to get us to our hotel - which was very nearly disastrous as TomTom is convinced that you can get down any street marked on the map, even those marked 'passage physically impossible' (not true, you just needed to fold down the wing mirrors and breath in). We now understand why all the rental cars were dinged, though - we barely avoided it ourselves.

This road was like a funnel - the sign on the right reads 'physically impossible entry >1.5m<', and later there was one that read '>1.0m<' - but we still got past! The sign on the left translates to 'Attention: physical impossibility of passage for vans and greater vehicles' according to Babelfish...this is why you need a really good phrasebook

It was worth the struggle, though - Sarah had excelled herself with the Apartment0s Gumiel. We had a fantastic place with views of the Alhambra (the Moorish castle that dominates the hill above Grenada). It looked brilliant from our balcony - beautifully lit up at night. From the Alhambra we could see our apartment, too. It was also just a short walk from the Albayzin - the oldest part of the town, and really felt like part of a Granadan house, complete with interior garden.

The Alhambra at night from our balcony

Our balcony is the one right in the middle, just to the left of the top of the tree with the washing hanging out - as seen from the walls of the Alhambra
Jessie's camera had much better zoom than ours...in case you didn't believe us

The next day we caught the tourist minibus up to the Alhambra (an adventure in itself, going in a bus through winding streets we didn't think we could pass in the car).

The Alhambra itself is a vast complex (the Generalife garden, and the range of palaces). We had pre-booked tickets so we managed to bypass the queues (there are a limited number of tickets but somehow there still seemed to be big crowds) - we began in the Generalife and were blown away by the beautiful gardens - and we were only half-way through the site.


The remainder of the Alhambra is a sprawling complex of buildings from the last 800 years, beginning with Moorish constructions and following through to the 'Catholic monarchs'. In his 'Tales from the Alhambra', Washington Irving (who is probably most responsible for the fame of the Alhambra) describes it having fallen almost into disrepair - that is a far cry from the current state. Particularly excellent was the Palacios Nazares - it is so good that you get allocated a 1/2 hour slot so they can manage the crowds.

The Alhambra as seen from the Generalife

Absolutely stunning use of water in the palace

Incredible detail on the plasterwork - this covers every surface in the palace! (this is a close-up from the photo above it, from the bottom right-hand corner

Sarah with some of the oldest parts of the Alhambra, plus the Palacio de Carlos V in the background

The Alhambra was a fort as well as a palace - we're looking down at some of the walls from the highest watch-tower - the little dot in the bottom right is Jessie, who is still several hundred feet above the valley below

But Granada had more than just the one palace - including a really pretty and vibrant square, some great restaurants (both Spanish and Arabic), and a very impressive cathedral. It was an absolute must-see city - packed with ancient sights, yet still of a manageable size.

Away from the garden of the Generalife it has a more dense, close feel to it than Seville, which seemed to celebrate open space more - Seville lived around its river and flat plains, while Granada seemed to almost crowd up around its protecting hill - making the density of fascinating things to see even higher!

The main square in Granada was absolutely gorgeous at night, and ringed with restaurants of every kind

The Cathedral was absolutely stunning and well worth checking out (although unless you're Spanish, the royal chapel next-door, featuring the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella who liberated Spain from the moors, probably won't mean as much to you)