Parents, Palaces, and Pizza

Hello again, dear readers!

A somewhat obscene amount of time has passed since my last post, though it actually isn’t because I haven’t been writing.  I’ve had some issues with Blogger in the last few weeks, which are hopefully resolved now, and then I was so behind in posts that I didn’t want to post updates without being able to bring you all up to the current moment!  Anyway, I’m now going to post everything I have and soon we’ll be back on track—and as always, thanks for visiting my little blog!

As you all know, I spent last weekend in Granada with my friend Keely and her family.  In the past month I have been slowly but surely making my way to the different provinces of Andalucía and each have been a uniquely fantastic experience.  Granada did not disappoint; in fact, I would say that it’s now one of my favorite cities in Spain.   Obviously my fine company contributed heavily to my enjoyment—when my train arrived, I took a taxi to a hotel nestled away in the adorable city center where I met Keely and her parents.  Albert and Denise were incredibly hospitable and made me feel right at home, a great feat since they were travelers in a strange land themselves!  That evening we went to dinner at a nearby restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet where we had a delicious meal.  As you all know, good food in good company is one of my greatest pleasures in life, so this was a wonderful way to spend the evening.

wild mushroom salad

Denise and Albert at dinner

We retired somewhat early that night so that Keely and I could rise with the sun (well before, actually) and attempt to get tickets to see the Alhambra the next day.  Luckily, our expedition was fruitful and we procured tickets for the four of us, thanks to some ingenious advice from Mr. Rick Steves.  The Alhambra is undoubtedly one of the most popular monuments in Spain, as it draws thousands of visitors every day.  One third of the day-passes are reserved for same-day sale, so that people who don’t plan their visit months in advance can still have a chance to see the site.  We were lucky enough to fall into this category, so Denise and Albert came to meet Keely and I, and the four of us embarked on our day of sightseeing.

waiting for her parents-- Keely is unimpressed by the stray cats

stray cats are ALL OVER La Alhambra

The Alhambra is a sprawling network of ancient architecture that sits on top of the hills surrounding Granada.  While it includes a Christian palace and an abandoned Moorish fort called Alcazaba, the most magnificent of the sights are the Palacios Nazaries and Generalife—the last Moorish palace and the surrounding gardens, respectively.  We walked through the Palacios Nazaries with our guided audio-tour and spent hours climbing through the ancient chambers and ascending towers to see the awe-inspiring views of the city below.  The Moors ruled in Granada until 1492, until the palace itself was overtaken by Christian crusaders.  At that point, Charles V built his own palace atop the hill as a symbol of conquest.  While Charles’ stronghold was beautiful, it doesn’t even compare to the Palacios Nazaries.  The detail of the Moorish architecture was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

inside Charles' palace

the Wright family!

Granada through Moorish windows

inside the Palacios Nazaries

incredibly intricate design

The Moors saw water as a symbol, because it was such a precious resource in their own homelands.  Because of this, water features are everywhere in the Alhambra—fountains and pools decorate almost every room and the gardens are filled with cascading waterfalls and man-made streams.

the interior palace

Keely and I

ancient pillars

reflection pool

We finished our tour of the Alhambra with a walk through the Generalife gardens, which were spectacular.  Granada actually means pomegranate in Spanish, so fruitful trees were artfully placed on almost every path.

I’m sure I could spend months in the Alhambra without seeing everything, which makes it particularly special.  I love walking through ancient palaces and thinking about the people who used to live there.  Since I come from the west coast of the United States, the oldest building in my city would be considered practically new in Europe.  I love my hometown, but there’s something distinctly magical about living in a place with so much rich human history.

on top of Granada

surrounding hills

Generalife gardens

my favorite flower in Generalife 

pomegranates!

After our Alhambra tour we went to an amazing restaurant for pizza and hummus, a gem that Keely had discovered on her last trip to Granada.  The city, like most in Andalucía, has a very large North African population.  This means that Granada is the place to go for awesome hummus, something I miss so much from home!

That evening, we went on an excursion to find an Irish bar that Keely’s sister, Mandisa, used to frequent during her year abroad in Granada.  We at first found a bar that we were sure was the right one, so we ordered drinks and food only to discover that we were at a different bar with the same name.  So, after our meal we embarked on another journey to find Mandisa’s bar, this time asking five or six Spaniards for directions before arriving at the “other” Hannigan & Sons.  Victory!

en route

all the traffic barricades in Granada are pomegranates!

This bar was a shots bar clearly frequented by the student crowd.  Luckily, we arrived early so we were able to enjoy a few drinks before karaoke and overly obnoxious Americans overtook the area.  Keely also found her future husband here, a Spanish bartender who looked Irish (yes, apparently that’s possible) and served us flaming shots called “The Afterbang.”  Oh, what adventures.

victorious in Mandisa's bar!

"The Afterbang" 

a great end to a long day!

All in all, the trip was fantastic.  I was overwhelmed by Albert and Denise’s generosity and it was so wonderful to spend a few days with friendly and familiar faces.  Now I’m on the train back to Córdoba, ready to begin the next adventure of moving into my new piso!  Pictures and updates coming soon!