Blogs from Granada, Andalusia, Spain, Europe - page 3

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Europe » Spain » Andalusia » Granada April 18th 2018

Wenn um 7.00 der Wecker läutet ist es noch fast dunkel. Ich bin ziemlich weit nach Westen gefahren und das merkt man jetzt. Nach einem Frühstück im Haus der Chorknaben holte ich Paul aus der Garage. Die Straßen sind so schmal, dass es völlig undenkbar ist, irgendwo zu parken. Der Dom schloss gestern zu früh. Dafür war er heute schon vor der Öffnungszeit auf. Und am besten war die Tatsache, dass auch die Kassiererin noch nicht da war. Hohe schmiedeeisene Gitter umgeben sowohl Altarbereich als auch den Raum für den Chor. Und auch hier gibt es eine lebensgroße biblische Darstellung, das letzte Abendmahl. Sie wird in der Karwoche bei der Prozession rumgeschleppt. Dann fuhr ich nach SO. Ich wollte in einen Ort, in dem es eine Reliquie vom Kreuz Christie gibt. Und die hat auch noch ... read more
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Europe » Spain » Andalusia » Granada April 14th 2018

I was informed over breakfast that today is my 28th wedding anniversary. As a wise man said "a bloke has a lot to remember, put the seat down, don't scratch in public, etc. How can he be expected to remember anniversaries as well." Anyway, today is our last day in Granada so we caught the bus into the city centre and had a look at the Corral del Carbon, the only surviving caravanserai of the 14 that once existed in Granada. After the reconquista the space was used to store coal, hence 'del Carbon'. The next stop was the Royal chapel that houses the ornate marble tombs of Isabella and Ferdinand and Juana the mad and Phillip the handsome, who wasn't. There are also an awful lot of religious paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries ... read more
corraldelcarbon
royal chapel
15th century torah

Europe » Spain » Andalusia » Granada April 13th 2018

Today was a day I had been looking forward to for a long time. Today I got to see Al Hambra in all its glory. Even the weather played its part as we trudged for 30 minutes up the hill from our hotel passing a couple of caves with whitewashed entrances that were obviously inhabited. These caves, along with the ones in Sacromonte are lived in largely by gypsies and the children of wealthy northern Spaniards that run off to teach their parents a lesson. Go figure. The Al Hambra is really a fortress city built over several centuries and once home to as many as 5000 people. The Al Hambra was the last Moorish stronghold in Europe. As the Christian reconquista moved south, capturing Cordoba in 1237 and Seville in 1248, the Nazarids clung on ... read more
generalife gardens
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Europe » Spain » Andalusia » Granada April 12th 2018

Got off to a slower start this morning to make up for all of the earlier ones we've had lately. Caught the bus into the city centre then did a recommended walk that takes in most of the major sites. We started at the Plaza Isabel La Catolica where Granada's two grand boulevards, the Gran Via and the Calle Reyes Catolica meet. The plaza has a large statue of Columbus unfurling a contract before Isabel prior to sailing off to discover the new world, even if he thought he'd hit India. From there we walked through the Alcaiceria, originally a Moorish silk market later closed down by Phillip II and destroyed by fire in 1850. In the late 1800's it was rebuilt as a tourist souk. Next on the list was the Plaza de Bib-Rambla, a ... read more
granada cathedral
darro river
hammam el banuelo

Europe » Spain » Andalusia » Granada April 11th 2018

Today is another of those designated travel days. Its a quick taxi ride to the train station then sitting and waiting for the board to tell us which platform our train will come in to. This is a local train with a lot of stops along the way. The train rolls through thousands of hectares of olive groves and you soon realise why Spain is one of the worlds largest olive oil producers. As I'm looking out the window we roll by a wetland area with a flock of flamingos paddling around. Who knew flamingos lived in Spain. About half way through the trip the conductor brings some small print on my ticket that I hadn't bothered to read to my attention. Apparently at Antequera St Ana we have to get off the train and catch ... read more
more olives
another fine dinner

Europe » Spain » Andalusia » Granada March 9th 2018

Well , the Alhambra is as magnificent as I imagined it would be . Unfortunately it was a rainy day while we visited but it did not hold us back in the least . Matter of fact it turns out we did 16000 steps that day . Both of us used our umbrellas and I also had a plastic raincoat from the dollar store which was invaluable . The NAZERIN Palace was unbelieveable . Initially , at the front entrance we thought hoohum...We saw this in Morocco but we quickly realized how wrong we were . Thlis place was unbelievable! Tile work , carved plaster, painted wood , fountains , pools...you name it it was there . I must find out how many people lived in that space . It could have held hundreds it was ... read more

Europe » Spain » Andalusia » Granada January 25th 2018

By local bus we travelled to Granada for a getaway of 3 days and two nights. Granada is overlooked by the magnificent Alhambra, a 12th century walled city built by the moors and occupied by the ruling sultans and their retinue until their conquest by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in 1492..obviously a big year for Spain. Like Toledo, it had distinct Moorish, Jewish and Christian sections. In addition, Granada had and still has a gypsy section Sacromonte, where homes and shops were dug into the hillside. We went to a flamenco performance in a 'theatre' in such a cave. It has been suggested that we are vying for Spanish Tourists of the Year awards...good idea, but we have found that there is just so much to see and do close to Malaga that we don't ... read more
Alhambra
Hotel entry
Casa 1800

Europe » Spain » Andalusia » Granada November 24th 2017

November 19&20 Granada, Spain The bus from Malaga rolled into Granada at 4pm and a taxi took us to the Plaza Nueva and our hotel, the Macia Plaza. Our balconies looked out on the busy square and up to the Alhambra, our touring destination tomorrow. After getting settled we set out to explore the neighborhood and find a good place to have supper. The outdoor restaurant right next to our hotel fit the bill perfectly...paella, falafels, pizza...and ice cream from across the square for dessert. Granada was the last stronghold of the Moors and the Moorish culture is still prevalent. In 1492 the last Muslim ruler surrendered here to King Ferdinand and Isabella after the last battle of the Granada war. On Monday morning we took a taxi up the hill to the world famous Alhambra. ... read more
Our three first floor doors with great views
A typical small street with a church view
The fountain in our plaza at night

Europe » Spain » Andalusia » Granada October 11th 2017

At this point, our trip changed a little bit. The plan was initially to spend one day and night in Granada and then to fly to Barcelona for three days. However, because of the political unrest in Barcelona with the Catalonian referendum and talks the state declaring independence at any point, we were advised by many people to reroute our trip. This was definitely a big bummer as we all wanted to see the city that most say is the best in Spain, but unfortunately that trip will be for another time. At this point the new plan was to spend two days and two nights in Granada and then go to the southern coast of Spain to the beach in Marbella with a put stop in Málaga on the way. So, at this point, I ... read more
Alhambra Summer Palace
Alhambra
Alhambra

Europe » Spain » Andalusia » Granada September 25th 2017

Zoe I woke up early in the morning and Josia was already awake. So we were just chatting outside. Dad was also awake so he went down to the shops to get breakfast. When dad was back everyone was awake so we had breakfast. They all had bread and dips but I had bacon. Then we got ready to go to the Alhambra. The Alhambra is an Arabic palace and fortress, it was originally built in 889 on Roman ruins. In the Middle Ages the Alhambra was the residence of the Muslim rulers of Granada and their court. It is a beautiful palace and has amazing gardens. We went up the top of one of the towers and we got a view of the whole city. There is also a bell up the tower and they ... read more
Alhambra
Me in one of the Alhambra courts
I had fun with Uncle Mike




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