Spanish Spree - April 2009
Day 5: Granada and Nerja
Again, we woke early to get a head start on the day. Today we would visit La Alhambra, a medieval complex that was our entire reasoning to visit Granada. The Alhambra is quite an attraction, often considered on par with the Seven Wonders of the World and due to its popularity and limited tickets sold daily, it is almost essential to buy your tickets ahead of time. We had pre-purchased tickets with entry to the Nasrid Palaces at 8:30am, meaning we had to be in line to pick up our tickets by 7:45. Even then, the line was long and we were glad we were there early.
There are several parts to the Alhambra: the Nasrid Palace, the Alcazaba (fortress), and the Generalife Gardens. Another notable building is the Palace of Charles V, which houses the Alhambra museum.
There are several parts to the Alhambra: the Nasrid Palace, the Alcazaba (fortress), and the Generalife Gardens. Another notable building is the Palace of Charles V, which houses the Alhambra museum.
nasrid palaces
Our ticket only allowed entry to the Nasrid Palaces between 8:30-9:00 (once you're in you can stay as long as you wish, but you must enter during the time specified) so that was our first destination.
The palace is architecturally exciting; I loved the Moorish symmetry and the patterns carved into the walls, ceilings, and archways. In fact, the Alhambra complex, particularly the Nasrid Palace, is supposed to be the finest example of Islamic art and architecture outside the Islamic world. We leisurely explored the palace area, and again were thankful to be there early since it meant we were able to avoid many of the crowds.
The palace is architecturally exciting; I loved the Moorish symmetry and the patterns carved into the walls, ceilings, and archways. In fact, the Alhambra complex, particularly the Nasrid Palace, is supposed to be the finest example of Islamic art and architecture outside the Islamic world. We leisurely explored the palace area, and again were thankful to be there early since it meant we were able to avoid many of the crowds.
alcazaba
Our next visit was to the Alcazaba, the fort. It is obvious that this part of the Alhambra was primarily for military function. There are towers and short barriers for soldiers to hide behind in case of a fight. I enjoyed walking through the area, but it was a quick visit.
palace of charles v
Our next visit was to the Palace of Charles V. This part of the Alhambra is more recent than the rest, being built in the 1500s. Unlike the rest of the Alhambra, this part looks very Roman in style and almost Renaissance. To the side of the palace is the museum located at the Alhambra. We did a quick walk-through of the different artifacts and artwork, but found that we were much more interested in the Moorish architecture than the museum pieces.
court of the main canal
The final part of our visit ended up being the unexpected highlight for me: the Generalife Gardens. These gardens are absolutely beautiful and perfectly manicured. There were gorgeous flowers everywhere, with so many flowers in bloom since it was spring. We spent a long time walking through the gardens, enjoying the fresh air and literally stopping to smell the roses. While I can say I was amazed by the Nasrid Palace, I have to admit that I loved the gardens even more. I'm glad we had the time to spend enjoying them.
Afterward, we returned to the city of Granada. We wandered some streets with no real destination in mind before stumbling upon a restaurant with outdoor seating for lunch. We again ordered the menu of the day in order to try a few different courses. We appreciated the spanish guitar music of a nearby street performer and loved the great music, food, and sunshine during our meal. However, we were surprised to see street vendors approach us during our meal to sell souvenirs. Eventually, all the vendors seemed to catch on that we were sufficiently annoyed at the interruption to our meal and that we weren't interested in buying anything.
We were also surprised when dessert came. Our waiter had simply asked us "¿piña o naranja?" (pineapple or orange?) so we had requested one of each, expecting a fruit flavored pastry, custard, or other dessert. Imagine the looks on our faces when the waiter placed an actual orange at my mother's seat (complete with fork and knife!) and two rings of canned pineapple at my seat! We ate our fruit, but felt a little cheated by our "desserts".
At this point, it was about 3:00 in the afternoon and we had seen everything in Granada that we were interested in - a problem since our bus to Nerja didn't leave until 6pm. We decided to head to the bus station early, in hopes that we could exchange our tickets for the earlier bus. A short conversation later (good thing I speak Spanish; no one there spoke English!) and we were happily on our way to Nerja.
The two-hour bus ride was comfortable and well air-conditioned, a big plus on such a warm day. The second half of the ride was beautiful, with the mountains on the right side of the bus and the Mediterranean Sea on the left side. We passed through several pretty villages on the sea, and I wished we had a week to explore them all. Before we knew it, we had arrived in Nerja, a pretty town on La Costa del Sol (the sun coast). Once a fishing village, Nerja is now a medium-size town highly popular with Brits who are looking for a dose of sunshine. It is much smaller than many of the other resort areas on the Costa del Sol, there are no high-rises or big hotels, but Nerja is no longer a sleepy village in any means.
We were also surprised when dessert came. Our waiter had simply asked us "¿piña o naranja?" (pineapple or orange?) so we had requested one of each, expecting a fruit flavored pastry, custard, or other dessert. Imagine the looks on our faces when the waiter placed an actual orange at my mother's seat (complete with fork and knife!) and two rings of canned pineapple at my seat! We ate our fruit, but felt a little cheated by our "desserts".
At this point, it was about 3:00 in the afternoon and we had seen everything in Granada that we were interested in - a problem since our bus to Nerja didn't leave until 6pm. We decided to head to the bus station early, in hopes that we could exchange our tickets for the earlier bus. A short conversation later (good thing I speak Spanish; no one there spoke English!) and we were happily on our way to Nerja.
The two-hour bus ride was comfortable and well air-conditioned, a big plus on such a warm day. The second half of the ride was beautiful, with the mountains on the right side of the bus and the Mediterranean Sea on the left side. We passed through several pretty villages on the sea, and I wished we had a week to explore them all. Before we knew it, we had arrived in Nerja, a pretty town on La Costa del Sol (the sun coast). Once a fishing village, Nerja is now a medium-size town highly popular with Brits who are looking for a dose of sunshine. It is much smaller than many of the other resort areas on the Costa del Sol, there are no high-rises or big hotels, but Nerja is no longer a sleepy village in any means.
view from our room at hostal miguel
With no buses running through town, and no cabs in sight, we were glad we had packed lightly and we rolled our suitcases down the sidewalks to our hotel - the Hostal Miguel. In Spanish, a hostal is very different than a hostel. A hostal is simply a small hotel with few rooms, similar to a guesthouse or a bed and breakfast, whereas a hostel is a hotel in which you typically share a room and bathroom with other travelers. Hostal Miguel has only nine rooms, and our hosts, Ian and Jane were fantastic throughout our stay. Friendly, attentive, and more than happy to share their knowledge of the town, we had a fantastic stay with them.
view from balcon de europa
On the coast, there is a promenade that offers spectacular views of the sea and the mountains. Known as the Balcón de Europa (Balcony of Europe), we enjoyed looking over the coast in the early evening. I walked down the stairs to walk on the sand and to put my feet in the water. It wasn't quite warm enough to swim at this point in the year, but I had to say that I'd been in the Mediterranean, so I got just up to my ankles wet!
After dinner, we strolled through town to an Italian restaurant, Pinocchio. We ordered too much, as usual, and enjoyed our meal thoroughly. We laughed though during our quest to get the check at the end of the meal. We tried on dozens of occasions to get our waiter's attention at the end of the meal to signal that we were ready for our check, but never managed to catch his eye! After forty minutes of trying, we were finally successful. Good thing we weren't on a tight schedule!
Our last stop for the night was at El Burro Blanco (the white donkey), a bar only a block or so from the hostal. We had passed it earlier and noticed a sign advertising a flamenco show that night. The cover was only 6 euro and included our first drink - a bargain. We showed up and were treated to great dancing, conversations with locals, and great sangria. Before you knew it, the show was over and we were ready for more. We had no idea that two hours had already passed! It was a late night for us, especially after an early morning, and we returned to the room for a good night's rest.
After dinner, we strolled through town to an Italian restaurant, Pinocchio. We ordered too much, as usual, and enjoyed our meal thoroughly. We laughed though during our quest to get the check at the end of the meal. We tried on dozens of occasions to get our waiter's attention at the end of the meal to signal that we were ready for our check, but never managed to catch his eye! After forty minutes of trying, we were finally successful. Good thing we weren't on a tight schedule!
Our last stop for the night was at El Burro Blanco (the white donkey), a bar only a block or so from the hostal. We had passed it earlier and noticed a sign advertising a flamenco show that night. The cover was only 6 euro and included our first drink - a bargain. We showed up and were treated to great dancing, conversations with locals, and great sangria. Before you knew it, the show was over and we were ready for more. We had no idea that two hours had already passed! It was a late night for us, especially after an early morning, and we returned to the room for a good night's rest.
Continue to Day 6: Nerja