Tower of the Mihrab

We got up early to travel by train to Granada, a little over an hour away from Málaga. We had a ticket to visit the palaces in the Alhambra at 1pm and we had mistakenly thought that this meant we weren't able to enter the complex until that time. So we wandered around Granada before heading to the Alhambra. It turns out it was only the Palace that we needed to wait until 1pm. Oh well, at least we got to see Granada.

The Alhambra, which translates from Arabic as 'The Red One’, is a well-preserved palace and fortress complex, showcasing Islamic architecture of the Thirteenth to Fifteenth century CE. It was built in 1238 CE by Muhammad I Ibn al-Ahmar, the first Nasrid emir and founder of the Emirate of Granada, which was the last Muslim state of Spain. The palace complex includes many courtyards and fountains. One set of stairscases leading to the top of the Generalife had a water feature built into the hand rail. Located outside the Alhambra walls is the former Nasrid country estate and summer palace. It too incorporates elaborate courtyards and gardens.

On our way to the Alhambra (and also around Málaga), there were women handing out twigs to rope tourists into getting their fortune read. Tourist trap! After avoiding the first few women, Jason turned to me and said "why are we not doing the Terrie Nelson finger wave". From there out, we had our script written, a slight wave back and forth of the index finger and a stern look on our faces.

Our train back to Málaga didn’t leave until almost 7pm so we had a few hours to wander the streets of Granada ... again. On the train trip, Jason's surmising contained. This time, the focus was on a nearby couple. Jason had their entire life story mapped out. They were a newly married Ukrainian couple on their honeymoon. All this from just the way they looked. Jason should join the women handing out twigs and start fortune reading. Tired and sore, we managed to stumble home, after more than 23,000 steps.

Next stop: back to Málaga.Read more