Alhambra

This morning I had a 9 am entry into the Palacio Nazaries. Although not ideal, it was actually the only and last ticket available when I booked about two months ago. 

I caught the bus from my hotel and transferred to the Alhambra minibus from the city center. I made it up to the ticket booth for pickup around 8:45 am and walked over to the Palace. As I had come last night, everything was familiar and easy. The poor guards must get so tired re-explaining everything as like I mentioned, not everything was intuitive. Also, I'm glad I came for a day visit as some of the rooms were roped off last night. Here are some day photos of the Palacio Nazaries:

You exit from the Palace into the Portal Gardens which leads to the Generalife Gardens. As I wasn't ready to make my way back up to the main area and the Generalife Gardens, I decided to visit the Alcazaba which is the fortress. There are several towers and is where the soldiers lived. Here's a photo of some of the rooms which aren't that much smaller than my NYC studio apartment:

Also nearby was the Palace of Charles V which has two museums. One for the Alhambra and a Fine Arts museum. I went into the Alhambra one which has artifacts, tiles, ceilings, and statues. The building is a large rotunda. Here's a photo:

At this point, I decided to sit on a stone bench that wrapped around a large tree. I sat here for awhile and then I suddenly noticed a pool of water around my feet and half of me was soaked. Not sure where the water came from, but I walked over to a sunny bench, shifted my skirt around so the half was exposed to the sun and I could dry up. Thank goodness for the strong Spanish sun!

After I was all dry, I walked over to the Mezquita baths and then up to the Parador which is on the site of an old Franciscan monastery converted into a high-end hotel. I then made my way to the Generalife Gardens. Well-manicured and flowers everywhere, I walked to the Generalife Palace and took photos of the various courtyards. Here's a collage of photos:

I then walked out of the gardens and down a path to the main entrance. Here I caught the #30 bus back down to the city center in front of the Cathedral. Here's a picture of one of the many minibuses that zip around in Granada:

I then caught the #31 bus up to Albaycín. This is an ancient Muslim neighborhood and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. You can walk up to this neighborhood easily, but I get plenty of steps in everyday, so there's no need to be ambitious - I have been averaging 16,000 to 20,000 a day! I got off at the stop closest to Iglesias Salvador and looked around. This church was built on top of an old mosque and still has a courtyard with traditional Islamic arches. 

I then walked over to Plaza Aliator, to go to Bar Los Caracoles which means snails. This too was where Anthony Bourdain had been and is well-known for their gigantic snails. Although I prefer the traditional French version with garlic butter, this had a nice spicy Spanish kick. An older gentleman sat nearby and was very kind. The restaurant hadn't opened yet at 1 pm when it should have, so he caused a little ruckus and made sure I was taken care of. I was the only one in the plaza with a table cover! Here's a picture of some initial bites that are complementary, the snails, and a tinto verano:

I then walked down to Plaza Larga where there is the beginning of a Roman defense wall and then over to Mirador de San Nicholas. This is the most famous viewpoint in Granada of the Alhambra. It is famously known and mentioned by many, that this is where President Clinton said this is where he saw the most beautiful sunset in the world. 

Here, I enjoyed sitting in the sun and chatting with various tourists who inevitably wanted their photos taken. Here's a photo favor in return as well as a photo without me that shows the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains in the background:

I walked over to the Mezquita, the mosque in Granada and right next to San Nicholas, but it was closed for the midday break. I then meandered down the hill, down Carrera del Darro, a narrow street alongside the Rio Darro. The street led me to Plaza Nueva where I was yesterday. I sat here to rest and had another tinto verano. It's like I'm playing bar golf, except with summer wine and drinking one in each and every plaza!

The bells in Plaza Nueva started ringing and the Santa Ana church was opened. As my Catholic / Baptismal name, I was especially interested as it was mentioned that the church has nice mudéjar attributes. I walked in and they were in the middle of mass for which I stayed. 

As it was not quite dinner time, and I had pretty much walked everywhere, I decided to go to Los Italianos, a popular ice cream shop with a line out the door on the Gran Vía. A fellow tourist at the Mirador de San Nicholas mentioned it had gotten famous because Michelle Obama had visited here with her daughter. I enjoyed a chocolate chip ice cream cone pictured below:

There really is nothing like European ice cream in my heart / memory / stomach! When my family went to Italy, my mom insisted that we have ice cream in Spanish Square to reenact Audrey Hepburn in "A Roman Holiday". And when I lived in Paris for a summer in high school, I must have had ice cream or sorbet everyday. I remember learning about new fruits and berries - like cassis! 

I then walked down to Plaza Navas to return and try the beers at El Tabernaculo. Famous for the Jesus and Mary motif and of course, Anthony Bourdain has visited here as well. I had two Alhambra Especial beers, the local brewery here. At the bar, the bartender spoke about Anthony Bourdain having visited and was chatting with a family sitting next to me. Their daughter was clearly American and we all started chatting and hit it off. I actually sat next to the father on a bench earlier in Plaza del Carmen which is nearby. I was waiting for El Tabernaculo to open, while the father was waiting for his daughter who was buying makeup in the MAC store across the street. Both parents are university professors from Illinois and were doing their sabbatical in Spain, so their daughter could perfect her Spanish. The parents were Peruvian immigrants and met while getting their masters in the states. They were super kind and they invited me to join them down the street at Taberna La Tana, another Anthony Bourdain place. They were doing an Anthony Bourdain walking eating tour! Kismet! 

We chatted about living abroad, my trip to Peru last year, being a second generation child, and of course food! They gave me good recommendations in Sevilla and Barcelona and were super sweet. They then invited me to join them to pick up fried fish at a little shop on Pescaderia right next to Bar Oliver where I had lunch yesterday. The fried fish as tasty and they advised it was commonly sold on the beaches. 

We parted ways, but it was great to chat with Americans with a similar appreciation for food and travel! Here's a photo of the family and the fried fish sign:

I then took a taxi back to my hotel to rest for my last day in Granada!