On Thursday I caught a taxi to the bus station in Avila, then the 9 am bus to Madrid, which took about an hour and three quarters. Then onto the 11.40 bus to Granada, which arrived around 4.40 pm - a little late. Hence Caelli was already there to greet me! Onto a city bus to our accommodation. Pension Olympia is a bit like a hostel, with double rooms rather than dormitories. It was quite a nice place, central, clean, and our home for the next three nights.
We had tickets to La Alhambra for Friday, and the rest of our time was our own.
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| Cathedral |
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| Walking up the hill towards the Albaicin |
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| Ayuntamiento - Town Hall |
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| Cathedral again |
There are many, many tourist shops in Granada, and most are very attractive and colourful.
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| Not a tourist shop, but hey! who cares? |
We visited the Banos Arabes - the old Arab Baths. These bathing rooms were very common in the 14th and 15th centuries in the Moorish settlements (as Granada was at that time), and were used daily by both men and women.
On Saturday we bought tickets for the Tourist Train that covers many of the sights of Granada. Most European cities have them, but the big difference here is that Granada's works on a hop-on, hop-off basis, with the ticket lasting the whole day. We used it to get to quite a few different places.
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| The train going through the streets of El Albaicin, the old Arab Quarter, which is the oldest part of Granada. Narrow hilly, winding streets and white houses are characteristic. |
Our first stop was Mirador San Nicolas, a popular viewing spot for the Alhambra.
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| Iglesia del Salvador |
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| La Alhambra. Palaces on the left, the Alcazabar (fortress) on the right. |
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| Quite a few people here early in the morning |
There was a church here, too, which was closed to the public as it was undergoing restoration, but you could climb the bell tower. We decided to come back later in the day to do this so the sun would be behind us. Next stop - San Miguel Bajo.
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| Iglesia San Miguel. We climbed this bell tower, too. |
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| The Paso - a float which is used in the parade during Semana Santa |
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| La Alhambra from the bell tower. |
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| Conventa Santa Isabel La Real with the Albaicin behind |
Behind the church and the convent is the Palacio de Dar Al-Horra, which was built in the 11th century for the mother of a governmental dignitary. Its entrance was hidden away in a back alley. I think this was my favourite sight in Granada.
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| Moorish architecture has the house centred around a courtyard and pool. |
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| The garden was lovely |
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| Views from the tower to the Alhambra and the snow-covered Sierra Nevada (yes - that's snow, not cloud) |
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| El Albaicin looks fantastic! |
On Sunday morning we checked out the old Corral del Carbon, which was built in the 14th century and used as a hostel and warehouse by travellers and merchants. It's the oldest Arab monument left in Granada.
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| The grapevines are just beginning to shoot. |
We also had a quick look a Casa del Zafra, built at the end of the 14th century. Again, this was the home of a well-to-do family.
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| Yes - the courtyard has a pool |
On Saturday evening we went back to San Nicolas.There were heaps of people here, but hardly any were climbing the bell tower. Lovely views of La Alhambra.
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| Nasrid Palaces |
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| Generalife Palace |
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| El Albaicin |
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| Iglesia de San Miguel Bajo, whose bell tower we climbed earlier |
And finally, a couple of shots taken with the late evening light.
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| La Alhambra |
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| La Catedral |
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