Archives for 2014

I’ve found my next home.

Generalife was the summer place of the Nasrid Emirs, and also my favorite part of the Alhambra. It was built in the early 1300s and is basically my idea of perfection. The rest of the Alhambra is amazing of course, but the Generalife grounds just felt simple and peaceful. The main courtyard garden is thought to be the best example of the Persian medieval garden style. I’m pretty sure I could have lived there.

Looking down at the rest of the Alhambra.

I suspect that fewer visitors walk all the way up to the Generalife (it’s up the hill a bit and looks down at the rest of the complex), but those extra few steps are well worth the effort.

To wrap up the Alhambra, here’s a photo of my mom and me from the day. It’s probably my current favorite photograph of us.

xo, jill

Paradise on earth.

The primary reason for visiting Granada was to see the Alhambra. So imagine my panic when a week before the trip I’m online trying to book tickets and seeing that essentially everything is sold out. I could get tickets to the gardens but not the Nasrid Palace, the main event. This led to searching frantically for expensive guided tours that included a palace visit. In the end we decided to buy the garden only tickets online and then try to snag a palace entrance when we arrived in Granada. (A certain number of tickets are held back to be sold in person.) On the advice of our hostel we visited the Alhambra bookstore and ordered palace entry tickets from the kiosk. We were in luck. Our tale has a happy ending, but let this be a lesson to you all. When you visit the Alhambra, plan well in advance.

Peaceful moment on the way to the Nasrid Palace.

View of Albayzin while waiting to enter the Nasrid Palace.

We visited during the morning hours and despite the cold, it was the perfect time to go. We were the first ones through the gate so our walk through the grounds to the palace was peaceful and tourist free. Of course, that feeling didn’t last very long! The Alhambra is one of the top tourist attractions in Spain.

Essentially, the Alhambra is a medieval complex that includes a fortress, palaces, gardens, and much more. It was the home of the last Moorish rulers in Spain (circa 1400s) but the original fortress dates back to 889. The Alhambra is an excellent example of Moorish architecture and the theme of creating “paradise on earth.”

Various tiles used throughout the grounds.

By the 19th century, the Alhambra had been left to fall into disrepair and was later “rediscovered” by European scholars and travelers. It’s hard to imagine such a stately complex being forgotten and left to crumble. However, the idea of happening upon the Alhambra by chance while traveling is quite romantic, as is taking up residence in one of the palace rooms in the manner of Washington Irving*.

Truly, the Alhambra is indescribable so I won’t try any further. To quote Irving, “How unworthy is my scribbling of the place.”

xo, jill

*I purhcase Irving’s Tales of the Alhambra from the gift shop. I highly recommend reading it if you’d like to either prepare for or relive your visit.

First looks.

Once my mom and I arrived in Granada it felt like our trip had truly begun. We sorted out our tickets to the Alhambra for the next day and set about exploring the town. On our hostel’s recommendation we hiked up to Albayzin. This neighborhood is famous for being especially picturesque due to its Moorish roots. From Albayzin we got our first glimpse at the Alhambra, a truly magical place.

The Alhambra

A few notes on Granada:

*We ate at a wonderful vegan restaurant called Paprika. The baked tofu with apricot and peanut sauce was so good that I had it again when I returned to Granada this spring.

*Granada definitely plays up its Moorish history. We were encouraged to visit the Arab market where all the mainly Caucasian vendors were dressed up in Moorish costumes. Weird. Especially since we were coming from Morocco where you can see the real deal.

xo, jill