Travel in the Time of COVID: Europe 2021 – Spain IV

Communidad de Andalucía: Granada

We continued our journey inland to Granada, arriving in early afternoon. Alan had to drive through some very tight alleyways, looking like they might be too tight, but he navigated his Opal across the cobbles and into the very tight parking garage associated with our hotel on the edge of the Old Town. In our initial wanderings, we found streets and squares with tapas bars, the Cathedral whose grounds were filled with throngs of tourists on a Sunday in November, and several fountains and statues. We enjoyed a leisurely evening enjoying good food and drink. 

I found a Guru Walk for our second day, and Elena walked us around, sharing the best sights (and some of the best tapas) in her home city, teaching us about the immense historical importance of the town as well as architectural anomalies.

As Spanish monarchs reconquered the Iberian peninsula district by district, Granada was the last remaining city. After a siege lasting 10 years, the Moors were conquered by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in 1492 (freeing up money to sponsor Christopher Columbus’s explorations). Isabella wanted Granada to be the capital of Spain, and it was until Phillip II moved it to Madrid in 1561. Isabella and Ferdinand are buried in the Royal Chapel in Granada, next to the Cathedral of the Incarnation, which Isabella had commissioned. (As a side note, Isabella died before the chapel was completed, and was briefly buried in the Convent placed on the grounds of the Alhambra).

The Cathedral is the third largest in the world, and its size can only be truly appreciated from above.

Due to changing styles (and the deaths of various planners and architects), the “style” of the cathedral is not uniform, parts are Gothic, parts are Renaissance and others are Baroque. The main consequence of such a hodge-podge was that the base of the towers were not made for later designs – which included plans for a tower over 80 meters (200 feet) high. They only managed less than half of that when the base began to show stress and the soaring pillars were modified to a single bell tower on one side, reaching about 80 feet. 

The buildings that surround the Cathedral have housed administrative offices since Moorish times. Rather than knock down many of them, the elaborate decorations were covered by the Spanish. As I’ve said before, when you start renovations, you sometimes get pleasant surprises, as the University found:

In Granada, everything is dwarfed by the Alhambra.

As the Moors conquered Spain, they set up districts and palaces, building the Alcazaba in Almeria in the 12^th century, then using that as a template for the Alhambra as a palace in the mid 13^th century (portions of the fort date back to the 9^th century). It sprawls along the top of Sabika Hill, covering about 1/2 mile (approx. 0.8km) long and 210yards (205m) wide, from the Generalife Palace to the Fort, offering views of all the surrounding areas to prepare for any invaders, and better protect the nobility. Technically, a visit costs 14E per person for a timed entry to the Nasrid Palace, but since you must have a timed ticket, most of these are bought up by the tour vendors and can cost from 35-89E pp online, even without a guide, and is still well worth the cost. Portions of the grounds are free and open to visitors. Since it is a UNESCO site, you must bring your passport.

Every bit of wall in the main portions of the Palace and the Generalife is covered in intricate carvings – mostly poems – inscribed by master craftsmen. Only a residue of the previous colors remain, but those that do speaks to how vibrant they must have been. 

The gardens offered cool shade, and extend throughout the area, interspersed with fountains. The water is brought up by an acequia from the Darra River below. It is a place where you can simply sit and “be” (although a lot of tourists will be walking by). 

After another lovely evening, enjoying the company of friends and good food, we prepared to head off in the morning – next stop – Jerez!