The major reason for visiting Grenada was a visit to the famous Alhambra palace. One of the world's must see sights. As I mentioned before tickets must be booked months in advance to gain access as 8000 people a day visit this remarkable site. I booked them for us as soon as I knew the dates we would be in Grenada. Our little cave is only a 10 minute stroll from the Alhambra in the hill which it is built upon and as such there was no trauma getting there in plenty time to meet our guide. My knowledge of early Spanish history is sparse apart from the well known facts and as such I had booked us on a guided tour to try and gain more from the visit.
We met our guide as arranged and had a full Three hours being led through the various palaces that make up the Alhambra complex. The guide was excellent and we both really enjoyed the tour. It has spurred us to learn more about this fascinating history of the region. It may even be the impetus to visit more of Spain in the future.
In a nutshell the Muslims invaded Andalucia in the 11th century. They built huge palaces and killed all the Christians. In the 14th century the Catholic monarchy, namely Queen Isabella took it back kept all the palaces and killed all the Muslims. There's a lot more to it than that but it basically sums it up.
Pics of the Alhambra. It's amazing...
After our visit to the Palaces we walked back into town for a spot of lunch and visited a few more sights. The major pleasure of being here is mostly walking the tiny back streets and courtyards that make up the old city. It is a great city to mooch around and we have both fallen in love with it. Dear old Crispy is already planning a return visit. The public transport system is cheap and efficient and the city is really easy to navigate.
One of the things we wanted to experience whilst here was a real Flamenco show. Whilst we were sat enjoying a cold beer I noticed an advertisement for a traditional performance of this ancient art form just around the corner from the bar we were in.
Without further ado I bought tickets off the interweb and we made our way to the show. We enjoyed it immensely. I was surprised I enjoyed it so much. I don't normally understand the medium of dance but the energy and skill of the dancers and musicians was mesmerising. We couldn't follow the stories due to the language barrier but the wailing and stamping of feet was brilliant.
Tomorrow we bid farewell to Grenada and make our way to Cordoba. Another of the moorish cities but one that was famous in the Roman world. There will be loads of rubble for Crispy to see and scramble over. She's so excited at the prospect that she's getting giddy and I've made her go to bed early with a bottle of pop and a bag of crisps to get a full night's sleep.
Grenada is a place we would recommend to anyone. It truly is beautiful in its architecture and vibrant in it's culture. The Tapas is fantastic and the beer plentiful and cheap. It is certainly a city we wish we had found sooner.
In the words of Frankie Lane....
"Grenada. You have me under your spell"
Bare and Crispy signing off. Grenada. Andalucia.
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