Whirlwind Granada Tour

Granada's got the goods as far as siteseeing goes. The Alahambra is amazing. My scheduled slot to see the Palacio Nazaries was between 10:30 and 11 this AM, and after a 40 minute wander across town and uphill, I barely made it in time. What a site! This was the royal palace when the area was under Islamic rule. When the last Moorish King was defeated, it became the Christian capital of the Spanish Empire as well. I stood in the room where Columbus asked Isabel and Ferdinand to invest in a hairbrained scheme. The other highlight of the Alahambra is the Generalife Gardens, in which I lost over an hour wandering and admiring the scenery.

The Alahambra took me til about 2, after which I wandered up into the Albayzin area for lunch and a couple of breathtaking views of the Alahambra across the gorge separating the two areas. Then it was back down into town for a visit to the Cathedral and the Royal Chapel (where the afore mentioned Isabel and Ferdinand are entombed). Then I took a walk through the Alcaiceria (an old silk and jewelry market), bought some postcards and returned to my hotel. En route, had an interesting experience buying fruit from a supermarket. A faltering toungue makes and a very infirm grasp on a foreign language makes communication a challenge....

It's almost 10 here, but my plan for tonight is to go get dinner and explore some of Granada's nightlife. I'll then sleep in before checking out and making my down to the coast.