The only confirmed item on my agenda today in Granada is a 10 pm night visit to the Nazaries Palace. As such, I decided to sleep in, eat breakfast at the hotel, and lay by the pool for two hours. I also received an email from the Novotel rewards department that I had earned a free night with my Madrid stay, bringing me over the minimum threshold to redeem points. Cyn for the win! Although my hotel here in Granada isn't expensive relatively, the euro conversions had felt like small explosions on my credit card statement! I guess I've been spoiled by my recent trips to South America where the exchange was always in my favor.
I finally made my way out of my hotel to the bus stop, about a five minute walk. The bus takes about another ten minutes to bring you to the center of the city. This was perfect as many places close between 1 pm and 4 pm, so I was making it to the second opening. At the bus stop, I met some tourists - two middle-aged couples from Salamanca. We conferred about the bus and they decided to follow me off the bus at the city center as I had a map from my hotel. I also bought a bus pass that allows seven trips and saves me 20 euros per trip. They joked it was amusing that I, the American, was giving them, the Spaniards, directions.
We got off at the Cathedral and I tried to get my bearings and figure out where the stop was for the Alhambra. I was super hungry for some reason - so, I walked around the Cathedral through Plaza de la Romanilla to a street called Pescaderia. This street is known for seafood restaurants and one called Bar Oliver where Anthony Bourdain had been. His Granada episode was also special because his cameraman lives here part-time, so there was real local knowledge. I ate outside under a canopy while musicians performed all around. There's really nothing like soulful Spanish songs and Spanish guitar! I had a glass of white wine with the fish special suggested by my waiter. For some reason, they had trouble swiping my AMEX. The owner asked me about Georgetown as it's the Georgetown credit card which has no foreign exchange fees, so I try to use it when I travel. I advised it was the school where President Clinton and where Prince Felipe of Spain got his masters. He laughed at my fun facts.
After lunch, I walked around central Granada. I walked through Plaza Bib-Rambla and then to Corral del Carbón. The Corral del Carbón is a Moorish courtyard and perhaps the oldest building in Granada. I walked up to Plaza de Isabel la Católico where there is a statue of Columbus with the Queen. Here's a photo:
I then walked up to Plaza Nueva and tried to go into the Santa Ana church but it was closed for the midday break. I then walked down Caldereía Nueva which has a bunch of stores connecting the Muslim neighborhood of Albayzín and the city center, and brought me back down to the Cathedral.
The Cathedral is supposedly the second largest in Spain. The sanctuary was gorgeous and the surrounding chapels elaborate. Here's a collage of the sanctuary:
I then walked through La Alcaicería, a market and supposedly, it was the site of an old Moorish silk market that was destroyed by a fire. Now, it's all souvenir shops. I had time to kill and was planning to eat in the area called Realejo, so I decided to visit the Church of Santo Domingo which is in the same neighborhood. The altar pieces were intricate - one had so many angels. It clearly took a lot of work, but the heads were a little creepy.
When I tried to find the bar / restaurant I wanted to go to, El Tabernaculo, it was not yet open. So I sat in Plaza del Carmen where there is a city building and tourist information office. Suddenly music was booming out of the building - in the middle of the courtyard, a full band was playing. They were fantastic and later some teens joined and all the music sounded like soundtrack music. When I headed back to El Tabernaculo and it still wasn't open, I decided to head to Plaza de la Romanilla which was hopping earlier. For some reason, I was craving pasta so I went to El Deseo, a Mediterranean / Italian restaurant where I had a tinto de verano and a lasagna. Tinto de verano is described as a poor man's sangria of Granada in my guidebook and is just red wine and lemonade. Tasted like juice!
After dinner, I walked up to the Gran Vía and got on the #30 Alhambra minibus. The big buses can't handle the winding roads, so the minibuses take people up and down the hill. I have a ticket for tomorrow as well, but the night visit to the palace is a new type of visit so I thought I would try it. During the ticket collection process, I managed to translate for some Americans, help a Spanish lady, and explained the ticket system to some Irish tourists. The tickets are a bit confusing. For a night visit, you can only do the gardens called Generalife or the palace, not both. Tickets to the Alhambra need to be purchased at least one month in advance. The Irish tourists were middle-aged ladies who assumed they could see parts of the palace as part of the garden visit, but they are on the opposite sides of the complex. Furthermore, they were in Granada for only one night and the Palace tickets were sold out for tomorrow. I let them know there were a few tickets left for the 10:30 pm entry, but they would have to forgo the gardens. They ended up taking my advice.
The Palacios Nazaries was incredible. The detail. The architecture. The beauty. Seriously, "look up" is not just something to say to some addicted to their smart phone! Each ceiling was intricate and different. My neck hurt from the photos and trying to look at everything. Good thing I have a ticket for tomorrow. Here are some photos that do not do the palace justice:
Instead of taking the bus back, as I'd have to transfer and it was late, I took a taxi directly back to my hotel, so I could rest up for more Alhambra tomorrow!
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