Wonders of Granada

Granada’s comparatively fast pace is a bit of a change for us. Wendy & I started the day with a tour of the Alhambra while Molly slept in (been there, done that). The Alhambra is perhaps somewhat better known in the U.S. because Washington Irving lived here and wrote about it (Tales of the Alhambra, 1832). He had already attained international celebrity status after penning Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. We enjoyed the beautiful palaces and gardens all situated on steep terraces and ridges. The Alhambra is the site of the final conquest and surrender of the last Moorish Sultan to inhabit Spain. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella attained this feat in 1491.

We gathered up Molly and headed down the hill into Granada adding more miles of foot. This is a good thing since we can’t seem to enjoy the great Spanish fare in moderation. We strolled along the Rio Genil which flows through town. The river was running fast and clear and my guess is cold since the snowy mountains are such a short distance away.

Molly lead us to the central cathedral and the nearby tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella. We’d heard that the carving of Isabella has her head creating a bigger dent on the pillow than Ferdinand’s and this was confirmed. The widely held belief is that she was the real power during the time. Ferd was just eye candy. They were a remarkable couple. In 1492, aside from a famous boating expedition (“a 3 hour tour”), the Kingdoms of Aragon and Castile were united to form Spain. They also started a less auspicious endeavor – the Spanish Inquisition (which no one expects!) leading to the ouster or death of Jews and Muslims who did not convert to Christianity.

After more ice cream, we headed back up the hill to our hotel for a bit of a rest. We found that our hotel key card didn’t work and the maintenance guy (after giving us a look like we were idiots) resorted to giving us a metal key. At least we got in! Next, back down the hill for some nightlife. The Spanish love to party. Every bodega, café and bar, and there were thousands of them, filled up after 9:00 PM. We found our spot, too – a great pizzeria. Wandering around the narrow streets during the day is a blast and at night the added challenge of dealing with fast cars and motorcycles really keeps you on your toes, literally. As we were heading back to our hotel, we came across as a Catholic mass procession. This made us feel like we were definitely in the Old World. The procession included the devout carrying candles and a statue of Christ. Crazy! They would stop occasionally and drum/chant. This continued well past midnight.

Tomorrow we head to the coast via Malaga and onto Marbella. Sun and warmth!