Exploring Granada
Granada is an absolute gem of a city, situated at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
With a rich cultural history, Granada offers an amazing mix of arcitechture and food offerings. From the 700 years of Moorish rule to the cave-dwelling Gypsy communities, you’ll not run out of things to learn about this unique place.
Of course, the most famous attraction to Granada is La Alhambra, palace and fortress of the area’s Moorish monarchs. This is an absolutely stunning work of architecture, and not to be missed - even if you’re a spontaneous traveler who missed out on pre-booking tickets to get inside. We learned the hard way that folks now book entry tickets for this months in advance of their visit, so you generally can’t buy admission the day of. Or even a few weeks in advance. Tickets are limited to 300 visitors per half hour - you can imagine how insanely busy this is! Anyway, we hiked up the hill and wandered the fortress as much as we could without tickets. Believe it or not, there is still a lot to see without formal entry into the Nasrid Palaces and Generalife. As heartbroken as I was to have “missed out” on this experience, I am lucky to have visited here once before, many years ago, and was able to take Elliott on a tour of sorts by showing him all the coolest tile work and details - in the books and postcards in the gift shop. Oh yeah, new style of tour with your guide Liz. I do accept tips!
Another bonus for us was that we stayed in the Albaicín, the old Arab quarter of town that sits just below La Alhambra and boasts amazing views, day and night. We stayed in a cave house that lines up with the style of homes in Sacramonte, a traditional Gypsy neighborhood just a few streets over, outside the city walls.
In addition to getting lost in the narrow, winding Medieval streets, we thoroughly enjoyed traditional tapas. Lots and lots and lots of tapas. I don’t think I need to say more here. Granada is where it’s at when it comes to delicious, generous tapas. I only wish we could have stayed here longer!
