Daniel, Aida and Blair are only spending one night and we are staying 3 nights. Therefore we chose to stay in a hotel (Hotel Casa 1800) verses the AirBnB they are in. It is a very nice and small (14 rooms) hotel.
After we each checked into our places we met for lunch at Bar Los Diamantes (The Diamonds), we met at the one on Plaza Nueva, near our hotel. I loved it, calamari, fried fish, etc. all fresh and served hot, it was perfect.
However our wonderful lunch delayed our visit to the Alhambra. When we did arrive the rain POURED on us, just as we were finishing these Gardens. It's hard to tell how hard it was raining looking at these photos but we persevered with a ticket for only this day at this time.
It's on a high point looking out over Granada... steep hills above a river make it a stronghold location. No wonder it was a power seat for so long.
The Alhambra is the last and probably the greatest Morrish palace. Nowhere else does the splendor of Moorish civilization shine so beautifully.
From the Alhambra gardens we made our way to the Palacio de Generalife (Architect's Garden)
Here is a quote from the Qurán I found in Rick Steves Spain guide about these gardens:
"Surely Allah will make those who believe and do good deeds enter gardens beneath which rivers flow; they shall be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their garments shall be of silk. (Qurán 22.23)
This staircase is called the Escalera del Agua, whose banisters double as little water canals.
By the time we left this area I was totally soaked, even with a rain coat and umbrella!
As we continued to walk the grounds we found a dry place to spend a few minutes in the El Bañuelo (Arabic baths)
We had a "scheduled time" to enter the Palacios Nazaríes so we had time to appreciate Palacio Carlos V (Charles V Palace). It's very cool that Charles V liked the Palacios Nazaríes so much that he lived in it even though it was Moorish. Of course, he had to display his power through architecture so he built Charles V Palace for public meetings and ocassions. The palace is 17 meters (56 feet) high and 63 meters (207 feet) square containing an inner circular patio. The building is considered avant-garde of its time.
We are excited to visit the highlight of the Alhambra, Palacios de Nazaríes (complex of palaces which were the residence of the Kings of Granada).
It is hard to describe how beautiful and intricate the design is (it's rumored that "Allah" is engraved throughout the palace over 30,000 times. We counted only a few. A few of my favorite images of the decor:
These photo's are of the Patio de Arrayanes (Court of the Myrtles)
Next we went into the Gran Salon de los Embajadores (Hall of Ambassadors). This is the most majestic palace hall, where the throne was and official receptions were held here.
From here we walked through the Patio de los Leones (Courtyard of the Lions). While it was under construction it we could still see the 12 marble lions, from the 14th century.
What a place, what an experience. I can't believe I don't remember it more from my visit in 1980!
Given the rain, none of us wanted to go out so we went over to Daniel, Aida and Blair's AirBnB for a home cooking. Aida had a pasta dish in mind, we shopped, drank and ate and all had a good time on our last night together. They are leaving in the morning to go to Córdoba for the afternoon before taking the train back to Valencia tomorrow night.
Tuesday, November 22
Since we've been on the move for the past few day, and more rain we decided to take it easy today....sleep in a bit, enjoy a leisurely breakfast and walk around Granada's Old Town which is close to our hotel.
We first visited the Corral del Carbón. "A caravanserai, which was a protected place for merchants to rest their camels, spend the night, get a bit to eat, and spin yarns. This, the only surviving caravanserai of Granada's original 14, was just a block away from the silk market." "a common mistake to think of the Muslim Moors as somehow NOT Spanish. They lived here for seven centuries and were really just as "indigenous" as the Romans, Goths and Celts. While the Moors were Muslim, they were no more connected to Arabia than they were to France."
As I mentioned it's just one block away to the old Alcaiceria (Silk Market). Today it is a souk or market.
We then we saw this image of Isabella and Ferdinand that I kinda liked!
From here we walked through the Jewish Quarter. We visited the Centro de la Mémoria Sefardi located in the Realejo neighborhood. This home preserves the memory of Granada's Jewish history, from the time of the Taifas. In 1031 the Iberian Muslim caliphate broke apart, and many smaller Moorish kingdoms were established, one of them was Granada. With Granada now the capital of its own kingdom, its Jewish community grew. Amazingly, a Jew - Shemuel Hanagid became its vizier and military commander.
This statue is to celebrate one of Granada's medieval Jewish celebrities Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon in the Jewish quarter. He had to flee Granada in 1148, however he successfully made his way to Provence. There he and his descendants played an important role in translating many Jewish Arabic texts into Hebrew so that Jews could continue to study them.
After lunch and some time relaxing in our room we had scheduled to experience the Baños Árabes (Arab Baths) in a place called Hamman Baths.....it was fantastic!
Later, just after sunset we decided to take a walk up the Paseo de los Tristes (Walk of the Sad Ones). It was quite beautiful and has incredible views of the Alhambra. Yet at one time it was the route of funeral processions to the cemetery at the edge of town.
Statue of Mario Maya one of Spain's most innovative and influential flamenco dancers....on the Paseo de los Tristes
One of the places people used to go to get water on Calle Agua. Imagine climbing up and down the hills of Granada to get water home. I bet the Albayzin residents were glad to get plumbing!
We ended our walk by visiting the overlook called the Mirador San Nicolas, just amazing views of the Alhambra.
For dinner we also were fortunate to spend our dinner together looking at the Alhambra from the Estrellas de San Nicolas, it is quite magical all lit up at night. For a couple of days, Beth had been craving French Onion Soup - and it was on the menu. Score.
Another amazing day in Granda.
Wednesday, November 23
Our last day in Granada. We decided that we would walk up Paseo de los Tristes and through the Albayzin. On our previous walk I saw a historical marker for the what is considered the oldest and and best preserved public bath house in Spain, El Bañuelo. Today we stopped and bought a Dobla de Oro ticket which allowed us to see other houses throughout the Albayzin. Here are images of the El Bañuelo.
We then visited the Casa Horno de Oro
And the Casa de Zafra
Next we saw the Palacio de Dar Al-Horra.
From here we visited the Casa del Chapiz (below), which has been declared of Cultural Interest. It is a large Moorish house that since 1932 the State has used as the School of Arab Studies. It is made up of two 16th century Arab houses. They belong to the moriscos Hernán Lopes el Feri and Lorenzo el Chapiz. It is considered the largest and most famous Moorish house in Granada. Pieces of Mudejar art can be found inside
From here we started our walk up to the Sacromonte, the area of Granda where gypsies live/ed and is quite famous for Flamenco music and dancing. As you can see Beth had both her polka dot rain coat and an umbrella to try and stay dry.
Scaromonte is dotted with cave dwellings that have been the homes of the Roma or gypsy community for centuries. We had a drink in one of the cave bars but skipped the touristy Flamenco shows.
We both agreed that we liked the Granda more than Seville. It's is smaller about 300,000 vs 800,000. It is a town with a lot of college students from all over the world who go to the University of Granada, even our brother-in-law from California went to school here a number of years ago. With it's Muslim area, Roma area, and just a bit of Jewish history still alive, in addition to of course the amazing Alhambra it's quite a place.
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