Granada

I recently flew solo for a weekend getaway to Granada, and I have to say it was one of the best things I’ve done for myself here. I have always wanted to see the famous Alhambra and have heard tons of great things about Granada, so with only two weeks left in Spain, I had to go! The hostel I stayed at was centrally located, right next to the path leading up to La Alhambra and next to the most central plaza in town, Plaza Nuevo. Nearly everyone in the hostel had come solo from all parts around the globe. There was a girl from Northern France, a guy from Chicago and one from New Mexico, a man from Seville, one from China, a girl from Italy, and many others! I had never noticed how many people fly solo on their travels until I did so myself. It’s great though because everyone is much more apt to mingle (rather than if in a group), so you get to know and meet so many interesting people from around the world. I really enjoyed this part of the vacation. Our hostel had a great lounge and bar upstairs where we all hung out during the early evening and had dinners together. The bar was on the top patio and had the most amazing view of Granada, the Sierra Nevada, and La Alhambra.

The first day in Granada, I wondered around the Albaicin. The Albaicin is a labyrinth of steep and narrow streets and was the only Moorish neighborhood in Granada to survive the effects of the Christian Reconquista. If you can find your way to the top (which I eventually did after a couple hours), there is an amazing view of the Alhambra from the opposite side of the valley. You can see the Alhambra towering over its lush hilltop, with the snowy Sierra Nevada Mountain range in the background. It’s a beautiful sight to see, and well worth the roundabout hike. After enjoying the view and a cup of tea (which is immensely popular in Granada), a headed towards the gypsy hill. The gypsy “neighborhood” called Sacromonte, is a tall hillside overlooking the city, which is plastered white with cave dwellings. Walking up and around Sacromonte is a must see of Granada. It was so intriguing to see this community of gypsies (much like hippies, if not the same) going about their day-to-day lives. You could tell which were the best cave dwellings because they would have hammocks and couches on their “front porches” where all the locals would come to chill. After the day of exploring ancient and gypsy Granada, I headed back to the hostel for homemade Paella and drinks with fellow bunkers. After dinner, I met up with a friend of mine whom I met a few weeks back on the Morocco excursion and has been living in Granada for a year. She took me to the ancient Arab baths, were we soaked in enormous baths, with a variety of sizes, depths, and temperatures. It was a large underground cave with intricate blue tile work on the lower half of the walls, beautiful Arab arched doorways, and scripted carvings on the walls. It was followed up with a body massage and one last soak in the baths to top off the evening. The next day was filled with a visit to the Alhambra. It takes about six hours to explore the entirety of the Alhambra and all it has to offer. The Alhambra was at one time considered upon to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but didn’t quite make it. It is based on the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and was originally built by the Arabs for defense. When King Ferdinando and Isabella conquered Granada centuries later during the Christian reconquista, the Alhambra was virtually the only thing left undestroyed. Inside it houses the Palacio Nazaries, a royal palace built for Moorish rulers Yusuf I and Muhammad V. The palace is filled with intricate carvings and engravings that mark every room. Every room has so many ancient tales and stories and components/meanings to be spoken about, although it may be quite boring to hear about if you have not yet seen it. I suggest reading Washington Irving’s, “Tales of the Alhambra” if you want to find out the history and stories of this ancient wonder. Other than the Palace, the Alhambra holds a variety of gardens, towers, museums, and the Generalife. If ever in Spain, it is an absolute must-see. My last day ended with a visit with my girlfriend Amber to one of the hundreds of local hookah and teahouses. Here we smoked hookah, drank a variety of teas, and chatted of our experiences until we could no longer keep our eyes open. The next day before my train left, I did some last minute shopping for a mini hookah and tea set and found that every single shop offered the same things - a variety of goods from Morocco, and I at once understood the businesses of Granada - I was sure to haggle the price down substantially before settling.

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