We only had one full day in Granada so we had to make it count. Granada was the last stronghold of the Moors as the Reconquista in Spain started to come to an end. There are traces of this history all over town, and you can definitely still see the influence of the Moors in a lot of the architecture. We started the day by following the walking tour in our book that wound through the many plazas in the historic district of town.
Our first stop was the Royal Chapel and Cathedral. The Royal Chapel was built for Ferdinand and Isabel, and they are buried here. The chapel also had the crown and cape used by Isabel as well as the box she filled with jewels and gave to Columbus to finance his trip to the new world. After the chapel, we walked next door into the Granada's big cathedral. Another ornate cathedral, this one was slightly different as the stone was white - not quite as dark and dreary as the other ones we had seen!
After touring this area (and stopping for more ice cream), we took a bus to the Albayzin neighborhood. This area is the old Moorish quarter of Granada. Built on hilltop overlooking the city, the neighborhood is full of tiny streets and plazas. We rode a bus to the highest point and took lots of pictures. Then we wandered down the hill, zigzagging through all the small streets. Next to the Albayzin is the Sacromonte district. This is wear all the gypsies live. There are a few houses, but mostly full of people living in caves. We didn't venture into this neighborhood, but you could see tarps covering the side of the hill where people must have been living.
Our final big sightseeing adventure in Granada was the Alhambra - the last Moorish palace in Spain. The Alhambra is a huge fort with two palaces and a town inside. We toured the Palacios Nazaries (the well-preserved Moorish palace), Charles V's palace, and the Alcazaba - the actual fort. The Palacios Nazaries was a maze of courtyards and open rooms. I can only imagine what life must have been like hear. You can hear the fountains from the courtyards in every room, and there are spectacular views from every angle. The Moorish architecture and decor was amazing. Geometric shapes and Arabic script covered the entire palace.
Charles V decided he needed a bigger palace so right next door to the Palacios Nazaries is his attempt to outdo the Moors. However, he decided to move to Madrid before he lived in this palace. It looks like a square building on the outside, but once you get inside, it has a huge circle courtyard. We couldn't go into any rooms as they are now a museum and gift shop. It looked like it would have been a nice place to live! We finished up at the Alhambra by getting lost in the gardens and wandering through the fort. There were good views of the Albayzin and Granada from the top of the fort.
After a full day of touring, we stopped in a couple of tapas bars for dinner. We had some of the best tapas yet at the Bodegas Casteneda. After dinner, we also tried one of the many teterias. These are small tea shops filled with beaded cushions and African music and lots of teas and crepes. It was a good way to end our time here. One last stroll through the city at night, and we were done in Granada!
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