Granada, Spain: The Arab Capitol

I finally traveled to another city within Spain. Last weekend was the study abroad sponsored trip to Granada, in the southern tip of Spain. The city has a very strong influence from the Muslims due to their conquest of Spain between the 8^th and 15^th centuries. Through Granada, the Moors (Muslim conquerors of Spain) ruled Spain for almost 800 years. The main attraction in Granada is La Alhambra, a palace fortification built in the 13^th century that housed the Moorish nobles for 300 years before the Catholics retook the Iberian Peninsula. Other attractions include gypsy homes built in caves in the hillside where flamenco shows take place and an overlook that faces La Alhambra from a nearby mountain. The Catholic Monarchs (pretty much the mother and father of Spain) also have their tomb in the Cathedral of Granada as well.

On Friday morning we had to be at the airport at 6:15 which meant waking up at 4:30 which was not good because I was still packing at 12:30 the night before. The adventure started a little before 5 AM when one of my friends showed up drunk at my apartment to share a taxi with Leah and I. We arrived in Granada around 9 something in the morning, took a bus into the city, dropped off our bags at the hotel, got chocolate and churros, and started touring. First we saw the old hotel where merchants from the Silk Road would stay before going to the market next door where we visited next. Then we saw the Cathedral and Chapel of the Catholic Monarchs. In the chapel we saw the coffins of the monarchs and some of their offspring. Friday night we explored the nightlife of the city. In Granada most tapas bars will give you free tapas as long as you are buying beer. For every round of beers we bought, we were given another plate of amazing food. Saturday morning I had the best breakfast I’ve had since arriving in Spain. The hotel had the best full continental breakfast that I think I’ve ever seen. Then we went on a tour of the old scenic neighborhoods of Granada. This is where the homes carved into the walls of the mountain are. After exploring the winding streets of the mountain we arrived at the overlook of La Alhambra. When the tour was over we had a couple hours free until the next activity, the Arab Baths. Until this point I had never gotten a professional massage in my life. Basically, for an hour and a half we hung out in a room with 6 different hot tubs, a cold bath, free aromatic tea, then received a 10 minute oil massage. I don’t need to tell you how incredibly relaxing and amazing that was. After the baths we went back to the hotel, changed, and went out to a bar to watch “el classico” the most popular soccer game in Spain between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Barcelona won 2-1, allowing us to celebrate with other Barca fans in the bar. Then we hurried to meet up with the group and headed off for tapas dinner and the flamenco show in a gypsy cave dwelling. Sunday morning we got up and had another amazing breakfast before heading off toward La Alhambra. Finally we were about to visit the Red Palace that had been looming over us all weekend. The only thing that stood in between us and one of the most well known sites of Spain was a nice hike up a mountain, not really an intimidating barrier after going to school in Morgantown for 5 years. At the top we were reunited with our awesome tour guide from Friday and began the tour. First we saw the Generalife (summer home) and its famous gardens outside the castle walls. Then we moved in to La Alhambra where we walked through palaces that used to house the Sultans of Al-Andalus, the name for Muslim Spain. My pictures barely give you a glimpse of how incredibly overwhelming the beauty of that place is. After the tour, we strolled back down the mountain for a relaxing lunch back in the plaza by our hotel. In the afternoon we made our way back to the airport where we played charades and one of the male students ended up wearing a dress to square up on a lost bet.