Alhambra, the only show in town

We made it! Let it be recorded that at 1030 on Thursday 19 September we managed to visit the Alhambra. Was it worth it? Most certainly.
The grounds and out-buildings are open to the public any time and they are well worth a visit, but the royal palaces are the cream on the cake. As we hadn’t been able to score a guided tour we found an English-speaking guided group and tried nonchalantly to tune in to what their guide was saying. That was easier said than done because tour guides these days don’t have to speak loudly. They’re equiped with microphones and the bone fide tour group members all wear receivers with earpieces attached. It meant that we had to stand close to the guide while pretending that we weren’t listening to him.

Anyway, the three palaces are each in their own way absolutely stunning. They all date back to the 14th century Nasrid period. We then took a walk round the extensive and immaculately maintained grounds. The weather was fine and clear, and it was good to seek out a bit of shade and sit down from time to time. Travel hint: lemon granitas in Spain are really the best on a hot day. Even more refreshing than an icy cold beer, and that’s saying something.

After a bit of a break we visited the Alcazaba military area inside the Alhambra complex. Our hard-won tickets included entry to this area. It provides a great vantage point over the city, and Brian managed to get some good photos from there., By mid-afternoon we’d seen everything we wanted to, so headed back up the hill to our hotel. Another excellent day and our plans were to cap it off with a return visit to that treasure of a restaurant which has the Nasrid cuisine. However, it wasn’t to be since when we got there we found it was closed. We’re not sure why as their website indicated that it ought to be open. Not to worry, we discovered another excellent restaurant and had a great meal. Furthermore, they served great coffee, which is something that we have missed since arriving here. Spain is a wonderful, wonderful country, but a good coffee is very hard to find.Read more