Granada

Yesterday was the big event! When Darren and I decided to stay in Spain after our Portugal cruise, I said I really wanted to go to the Alhambra. So we made sure to include Granada in our travels. It did not disappoint. We arrived on Monday night and went to dinner close to our hotel. We chose a hotel very close to the Alhambra and that made the next morning super easy. It was only a couple minutes walk downhill to the entrance.

The Alhambra is a historic palace and fortress at the top of a hill overlooking the plain below. It was constructed by Muhammad I of the Nasrid Dynasty and then later expanded. In 1492 Isabella and Ferdinand captured it during the Reconquista. The most impressive section is the Nasrid Palaces. It was pretty spectacular. The most fantastic thing to me was all the plaster work in the building. The Alcazaba is the oldest part of the complex and served as the military fortress. It had the most spectacular views of Granada, more than 180 degrees.

It was pretty rainy and cold so we after visiting the Alhambra we popped back to our hotel to grab some extra layers before heading into the city center to explore. It is all downhill into the city, making for an easy walk. We stopped at a local place for a late lunch. It was very good. We ordered drinks, and as custom in Spain, we got a tapa with them. We then ordered a really tasty avocado, mango, shrimp salad and then some very good pork nachos. We explored a little more and then walked back up the hill to our hotel. We got our steps in today! The next morning we had a little time in the morning so we decided to go into town for breakfast. We found a nice cafe on Calle Via and had a great latte and a traditional Spanish tostadas with avocado, tomato, egg and tuna. It was very good. Today we travel again! This time headed to Sevilla and some hot weather!