Advertisement
Published: October 11th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Sleeping in a Bus Station this Time! Exhausted and more than a little sleepy we finally pulled into the bus station at the uncivilised hour of 2.30am... We had travelled the whole day from Rabat to Tangier by bus, Tangier to Algeciras by ferry and then on to our current destination, Granada by bus. Oblivious to the curious stares we were getting from the other people in the waiting room we decided to settle in for the night, spreading our Berber blanket out on the floor, securing our backpacks and trying to make ourselves as comfortable as possible. We were just starting to doze off when two guards arrived to tell us in no uncertain terms that we were not allowed to sleep on the floor. As the metal benches all had armrests between the seats it was a challenge to find a comfortable place to sleep off the floor!! We curled our arms and legs through the armrests, sat with our heads resting on our packs, but no amount of manouvering made much difference. When we finally managed to doze a little I became aware of a presence close by. I opened my eyes to discover two more guards peering
Palacio de Generalife
The symetrical gardens and fountains were fun for we amateur photographers! into our faces. They had come over to tell us that we had to put our shoes back on!! Unbelievable! We had to really restrain ourselves from laughing! We were convinced that they were watching everyone on close circuit screens and as soon as you dozed off they would wake you up! After a breakfast in the cafeteria, which opened at 7am, we took a taxi into town and ended up in Hostel Austria. It seemed fitting!
Granada Having just arrived from Morocco, we felt right at home in Granada. There is a very strong Moroccan/Muslim feel about the place and any curios that we may have regretted not buying in Morocco we could buy in the little shops throughout Granada. One of the shops nearby was called 'Marrakesh' and it was like being back in the Moroccan medinas. It was quite a surprise to us at first but then we learnt that from the 13th to the 15th centuries Granada was the last Muslim Kingdom in Spain. Granada has its own distinctive artworks and we were amazed to see the intricate parquetry-like wooden boxes, chess-sets, tables etc. We bought a beautiful wooden backgammon set for Colin that now
El Fresco Dining
We enjoyed having a late breakfast or lunch here! graces our coffee table at home. It was also a treat to see the snow-clad mountains of the Sierra Nevada to the SE of the city. These are the country's highest range.
Alhambra The Alhambra is one of the greatest accomplishments of Islamic art and architecture. It contains a fortress, a palace, patios and gardens, covering an area of 142,000 square metres. The strongly fortified wall has a total of 13 towers on it. During the reign of the Nasrid Dynasty, the Alhambra was transformed into a palatine city, complete with its own irrigation system. When the city was taken in 1492 by Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, the Islamic art was covered over in their quest to obliterate the Muslim influence. Much later Napoleon planned to blow up the complex but his plans were luckily foiled! It takes a good half day to explore the complex and it is safer to book ahead (a day ahead is fine we found out!) to avoid disappointment. Our hostel was located at the bottom of the steep street that leads to the Alhambra so we had a constant stream of mini buses winding their way up the street.
Preferring to take in the atmosphere we walked both times we went up. The first evening we just went up for a look and walked all around the area finding a great little hotel to eat lasagne in. The next day we went inside and wandered around some of the areas, joining an obligatory tour for the palace. It was an amazing place!
The Alcazaba The Alcazabra is the fortress part and affords a fantastic view over the city. What a great defence it would have been. It was incredibly windy the afternoon we visited and we had to be careful at the top of the clock tower.
Palacio Nazaries The Nasrid Palace is the centrepiece of the complex. It was built for Granada's Muslim rulers in their 13th to 15th century heyday. You have to join a tour to explore this part of the complex, which consists of ornate rooms and courtyards. The most famous courtyard is The Court of the Lions where a magnificent alabaster basin is supported by the figures of 12 lions, made from white marble. The lions are symbolic of strength and courage. Unfortunately this area was under reconstruction when we were there
so we didn't see the famous lions.
Renaissance Palace The Renaissance Palace was built by Charles V (1516-1556). He rebuilt porticos and destroyed the greater part of the winter palace to build his own palace which was never completed. The outside of the palace is rectangular in shape and yet the inside is circular.
Generalife This area consists of beautiful manicured gardens and fountains. In September 2006, the Canadian singer/composer, Loreena McKinnett, performed live at the Alhambra. A lot of her inspiration comes from the East and I enjoy her music.
Cathedral of the Annunciation This is a truly impressive sight! It was designed at the peak of the Spanish Renaissance and has five naves instead of the usual three. It is incredibly ornate inside and has two massive organs. It was designed in 1529 by Diego de Siloe and took 181 years to build.
Capel Real The Royal Chapel was also well-worth a visit. It was purpose-built to hold the remains of Ferdinand and Isabella although both died before it was completed. Their coffins were moved there when it was finished. You are not allowed to take photos inside the chapel. There is a huge
metal grille in the chapel adorned with figures of people, animals and plants. There are five tombs; those of Ferdinand and Isabella as well as those of their grandson, Prince Michael, who died as a young boy and those of their daughter Juana and her husband Phillipe who reigned after Ferdinand and Isabella.One of the delights of the type of travelling we were doing is deciding where you want to go next! We got out the LP guide, discussed the options at great length, narrowed it down to Madrid and Barcelona and decided on Barcelona. I was so glad we went there; Barcelona is an amazing place!
Note* Travelblog has made a few changes recently. One of them is that they only display 21 photos on the main page, as opposed to the 27 that they used to display. I have 28 photos so when you get to the bottom of the photos click on to the 'next page' to view them.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.098s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 8; qc: 32; dbt: 0.0363s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Botsalano
non-member comment
Clashing of cultures!
Loved your blog... amazing the way cultures and religious faiths have clashed over the centuries. Reminded me historically a little like Istanbul, yet in reverse order!