Mini Adventure To Granada – Part 2

We had both had a very good night’s sleep and awoke at 7:30am, refreshed and ready to commence Day 2 of our mini-adventure in Granada. On our way down to the restaurant, for our Buffet breakfast, we stopped at the reception desk, as after checking the reviews for the different Flamenco trips the previous evening, we opted to book for the one that departed our hotel at 9:15pm later that evening. Shazza and I had agreed a sort of loose plan for our second day, so after breakfast we would spend the rest of the morning visiting the grounds of the Alhambra, that was of course if we could have a little more success than the previous afternoon in finding the right gate to get in to it 😂 After that we would take the forest path, a different one to the one we took the previous day, down to the City where we aimed to cover some of the ‘Albaicin’ and ‘Centro’ districts of the city, but with our record of getting lost it would be interesting to see how that turns out 🤔

As we stepped outside of the air-conditioned hotel entrance the sun was already high in the sky, it was pleasantly warm but not yet stifling hot, it seemed strange to be looking over the nearby snow capped Sierra Nevada peaks whilst dressed in shorts, short-sleeved tops and our comfortable walking shoes. Although it was still relatively early, the tourist groups were already amassing at the Alhambra main entry ticket gates, we weaved our way through them and headed for the Information Centre, more in hope than actual expectation, to see if we could purchase any ‘Day Tickets’, unfortunately there were still none available. We walked a little way past part of the outer walls and started to follow a path towards the forest, although this time not taking the first path that we came to, as we had done the previous day, and a short couple of minutes walk later we came to a large stone tower with an archway, we went through the arch and then a small door, set in a much larger set of wooden doors, a walk uphill and finally there we were, in the extensive inner grounds of the Alhambra, this was where we saw, with our own eyes and not from photographs, just how large this inner sanctum area really was, I guess it had to be, to accommodate not only three separate Palaces but so many more buildings of quite epic proportions, it was more like the size of a small town.

The name ‘Alhambra’ has its origins in an Arabic word meaning “red castle or vermilion”, perhaps due to the colour tone of the towers and walls that completely surround the hill of La Sabica, which under the light of the stars is said to be of a silver colour, but in the light of the sun it acquires a golden tone. Created originally for military purposes, the Alhambra was initially a fortress, a palace and a small medina, all at the same time. Over the years, with many different conquerors and rulers, more palaces and gardens were constructed. However, if you need to know more on the quite extensive history of the Alhambra I will just respectfully request that you check out ‘Mr Google’ for yourselves as it has quite an interesting, but lengthy, history, and yes, I did actually just use the words, ‘Interesting’ and ‘History’ in the same sentence 😉 Alternatively you could just search out either, or both, of the TV programmes I previously mentioned, ‘Michael Portillo’s Andalusia’ and ‘Anton and Giovani’s Spanish Road Trip’ 👍

We had already witnessed the large number of tourists waiting to enter the Alhambra grounds, but inside there were already quite a few tourist groups doing the rounds, encircled around their tour group leaders who were reeling off their obvious well versed rhetoric’s on the history of the place, in numerous languages, it would have been easy enough I guess to have found an English speaking guide group and just tagged on to the back of the group, I don’t think that anybody would have noticed 🤔 However, being the history heathens that we are, we would have soon got bored and our eye lids would have started to glaze over, so we preferred the freedom of just wandering around under our own steam. Of course, this being a major tourist attraction, modern day capitalism and the historical aspects now sat side by side, so their were Cafe’s and Gift Shops spread around the different areas in order to entice the visiting hoards to relinquish even more of their tourist Euro’s, their was also a very plush ‘Parador’ Hotel within the walls, with a Cafe/Bar that the general public were permitted to use, separate to the hotel residents area of course. They were definitely on to a loser with Shazza and I though, as we had already eaten a hearty breakfast, and we don’t do ‘Tourist Tat’. As former Motorhome full timers we already know how to seek out the more authentic value for money establishments when we need them, so we decided to wait until we got into the back streets of the city.

We were now mixed amongst ‘all’ the visitor’s to the Alhambra, those who had parted with money to obtain tickets, and freeloaders like ourselves, the only difference being that their were locations around the grounds that had boundary markers to enter the ‘Ticket Only’ areas, much like the one’s you find at Airports to shepherd people into the correct check-in lanes, or through the security control x-ray machines, some entrances even had manned ticket booths where you had to physically show your entry tickets, so certainly not accessible to the likes of us. In reality, it isn’t that expensive to purchase tickets, when they are available that is. Now we may sometimes be considered ‘thrifty’ with our money but we would have been more than willing to purchase tickets for ‘unguided’ access, to do all the areas, for a cost of €35 each, although the prices do vary and are dependent on wether you want to do a guided or unguided tour, or wether you want to do a private guided tour during the day, or one at night, there are actually lots of options and the costs vary, from access to only one Palace area at €19, up to €150 for the ‘Full Monty’. However, at least we did get to go inside the walled grounds and had the opportunity to wander around many of the areas at our own leisure.

There were lots of huge buildings inside the grounds, and one that we could enter, and have a wander around, was one that also housed the Art Museum. It was a deceptive building because from the outside it looked like a square building, but once inside we found ourselves inside a large circular courtyard with an upper level, so we just wandered around both levels looking at the impressive decorative stonework and large ornately carved doors, although, unfortunately many of them were locked ☹️

There were lots of differing levels to wander around, from the upper inner walls down to lower outer walls, some with garden areas, some with archaeological remains still being uncovered, we spent a good couple of hours just leisurely exploring every nook and cranny that we could, and trying to imagine what it must have been like to live in such a place.

When we had exhausted all the parts of the Alhambra that we were permitted to, it was time to head down towards the city. The temperature had risen enormously since we had left the hotel earlier that morning, so we were glad to get into the shade of the forest, which also had lots of other paths to explore, but not for us on this day. the question we asked ourselves was wether it would be worth us coming back to Granada, at some point in the future, to visit the actual Palaces and Gardens and do a few more of the forest trails 🤔 However, we both agreed that we probably wouldn’t, a case of seen it, done it, but didn’t bother buying the Tee-shirt, but for those who have never been here before, then it is certainly worth the visit, just make sure you purchase your tickets for the Palaces and Gardens well in advance 😉

The twisting walk down the hill was no less strenuous on the calf muscles and knee joints as it had been the previous day, but there was lots to look at on the way down and so it was quite pleasant. As we walked down we could see the other forest paths, winding their way up to other areas, the map also reflected that there were other attractions, statues, fountains, flower gardens etc. but going back up to explore them was certainly not going to be an option that we were going to choose, at least not today.

We were attempting to take the mandatory ‘selfie’ when another couple asked if we would like them to take the photo for us, they didn’t look the type to run off with my camera so we thanked them, and of course returned the same gesture for them, as you do. We actually didn’t have much of a clue as to where we were at that point, the street map wasn’t that detailed, so we just walked in what we thought was generally the correct direction then, as is our way, we would stray off the natural track to explore pretty alleyways, climbing up narrow steps between residential buildings, it gave us a different aspect of the city, the everyday life, and as we did so we discovered, tucked away in one of the quiet streets what, from the outside, just looked like one of the many other houses on the street, but looking closer, on a sign attached to the wall next to the door we discovered that inside was actually where they hand made guitars.

We just continued to wander aimlessly, some streets were maze like so we lost our orientation, but nevertheless we continued to just keep wandering, we were in no hurry to be anywhere in particular and eventually we knew that we would come across a main thoroughfare, provided of course that we didn’t start walking uphill again, as we knew that the centre was in a downwards direction.

Suddenly, without any sort of warning, we emerged into a back street that was as if we had been transported to another Country, it reminded us of places such as Egypt, Tunisia or Morroco and it was like walking through a ‘Bazaar’, there were little shops on either side of the long narrow cobbled alleyway selling trinkets, leather goods, clothes and brightly woven jumpers and coats, and the smell of aromatic spices filled our nostrils, mixed in were the usual Arabic type restaurants, not one Chinese restaurant did we see but there were a couple of Indian one’s, several Syrian along with Kebab and Halal retailers, yes we had wandered into the Arabic quarter. However, and unlike when we were on holiday in those other destinations, we were not hassled, nobody standing outside the entrances trying to usher us inside with phrases like “Good price, ASDA price”, it was all a rather pleasant experience, the people we did see sat inside the different shops just smiled, some must have guessed that we looked Northern European and said “Hello”, other’s the usual “Buenas Tardes”, as it was now afternoon and not morning.

Purely by coincidence, rather than by our navigation technique, we managed to find ourselves out of the back street and on to quite a busy main road, although there was no handy street sign so that we could check the street map to establish exactly where we were. We turned Right, for no good reason, but rather fortuitously, or perhaps by some divine intervention, after only a few paces, Shazza saw a Religious looking building across the other side of the road, which turned out to be the Monasterio de San Jerónimo, one which she had read about when she had been researching Granada.

Shazza likes Religious type buildings, Churches, Cathedrals, Convents, Monasteries etc. so we went to take a look. Now as I may have previously said, other than the Cathedral there are also absolutely loads of Churches, Convents and Monasteries within the city, let alone those outside of it, but she had been drawn to this particular one for no reason that she could explain. As with a lot of these places these days, there is an admission fee, but it was only €3 each, and she said that she would like to go inside and take a look so, inside we went. Now I do not mind visiting Religious buildings, they are not at the top of my particular ‘must see’ visit locations, but some of them can be quite interesting and Convents and Monasteries in particular do tend to have nice external grounds and inner courtyards. Once inside we wandered first around the lower square quadrant that had an Orange and Lemon orchard in the middle, there were several rooms off to the side, some housing religious Artefact’s or Paintings, others were different prayer rooms and then we arrived at the main church. I let Shazza have her moment alone just wandering around, she lit a candle and then continued to wander. I sat myself on a Pew at the front, just really so that I could rest my walk weary legs until she had finished her reflective period. As I sat there in the calm and tranquil surroundings I started to let my eyes wander, as you do, and what became evident to me was the lack of the amount of Gold that I have seen in other churches, but the architecture in here was truly magnificent, in the stonework around the sides, in the central knave and in the ceiling, were small hand carved, and painted, figurines which must have taken year’s to complete. I don’t tend to ‘gush’ over most religious buildings, ‘Seville’ and ‘Burgos’ Cathedrals were the only two that actually stand out in my mind, but I do have to confess that this Monastery church was actually quite beautiful and more than worth the small entrance fee.

Now that we had a reference point, once we left the Monastery we were able to start to navigate our way back towards the main area, we still decided to do the back streets and alleyways and eventually we came across a nice corner Cafe, overlooking a Convent, although when I asked Shazza if she wanted to go and take a look at that, after our Coffee stop, she said that she was having ‘Nun’ of that 🤭

It wasn’t long and we found ourselves in the centre, amongst numerous Plazas, some tucked away in little corners, other’s in grand floral squares, but they were all pretty close to each other. We wandered through a couple of them, occasionally just sitting down on a bench, soaking up the sunshine and doing a spot of people watching, until our stomachs began to remind us that it was gone 2pm and a long time since we had eaten breakfast, so off we went in search of somewhere in which to enjoy a leisurely lunch.

It had been a long walking day, we had certainly seen a lot, what with the Alhambra in the morning and then the streets of Granada in the afternoon, but we were aware that even when we returned to the hotel, at around 4pm, that our day was not over, time for perhaps a short ‘Siesta’, showered, change of clothing and then a 9:15pm appointment with a coach, a walking trip and a Flamenco show 😳

Our coach party consisted of twenty-two people, five of which needed picking up at a different downtown hotel. However, that actually worked out pretty well for us, as our final area to visit the following day was going to be the ‘Realejo’ district, located in the South East of the city and exactly where the other hotel was located. So we had an unexpected familiarisation bus tour of the area beforehand, funny though how things just work out sometimes because, in addition to that, and although earlier in the day we had walked through the lower parts of the ‘Albaicin’ district, we had not walked through the uphill part of that area, but once again, and very conveniently, our coach route would take us up and through that area, and also to the only other area that we had not visited, the ‘Sacromonte’ district, where we would have a ‘guided’ walking trip and where our Flamenco venue was located.

A very brief history of the Sacromonte District of Granada

The Sacromonte district is located on the Valparaiso hill of Granada and borders the north-east side of the Arab El Albaícin district. In the 15th century, a large group of Roma, or the Spanish gypsies (the Gitanos) situated themselves here. They created houses by making cave homes in the hills; the Sacromonte district owes its fame to these houses. In the 15th century, the Valparaiso hill received the status of holy mountain, because people believed the caves in the hill contained the remnants of the city’s patron saint, San Cecilio. The literal meaning of Sacromonte is therefore holy mountain. The Gitanos have a long-standing tradition with the flamenco, the typical Spanish dance and music. They mixed the traditional Spanish flamenco with Arab belly dancing. During the day, the Sacromonte district is often deserted, but at night, the quarter comes to life.

Now here is another coincidence 🤔 If any of you reading this ramble have watched either the ‘Portillo’ or the ‘Anton & Giovani’ programmes, the episodes where they visited Granada, the Alhambra, and the Flamenco District, you may have noticed that they both actually visited the same Flamenco Cave House and took part in the same show. But this is not the only Flamenco show in town, however, we too arrived at this very same cave house, with the very same group members of Flamenco dancers 😲

Now I have to be perfectly honest with you, ‘Flamenco’ ? I just don’t get it, I really don’t 🤷‍♂️ To me it is just a lot of really loud banging noise, wailing in a language that doesn’t even sound Spanish, not that you can actually understand any words anyway, then the clapping of hands and stamping of feet to such a crescendo it gives you a headache. Now even though we went to a show in Seville, that was in a large room, we were sat at a nice table with comfy seats and had a three-course meal before it started, the performers sat on an elevated platform so that the whole audience could see them and the most important part, the feet movements, but even then, I still didn’t get it 🤷‍♂️ Nobody explained a story line, it was more like the ‘walking dead’ performing at Eurovision and even then they would have scored more points than the UK 😂 But here, we were not in a large room, there must have been at least fifty of us packed in like sardines in to a relatively small cave house that didn’t have any air-conditioning, we were sat on very uncomfortable wooden stool like chairs, it was hot, loud and uncomfortable and the performers were not on a raised platform in order that you could see their feet. When the first group of performers had finished, after around half an hour later, I was relieved, until that was that they announced that their would be a short break and then another different younger group would begin their half hour performance 😳😖 However, at the end of the day, which in reality it actually was, this was not about me, Shazza had wanted to see a proper traditional Flamenco, performed by authentic ‘Gitanos’ and so now she has, and she said that she had enjoyed it, so that is all that really matters.

We returned back to the hotel at around half past midnight, it had truly been a very long day, the question was, would our legs be up to another walk on our final full day in Granada 🤔 Neither of us mentioned it, we both just collapsed into bed and were asleep before our heads even touched the pillows 😴

Until the next, and final part, of our mini-adventure to Granada…………..

Hasta Luego mi Amigos