The Alhambra.
The drive up to Granada is spectacular for the passengers. A little more tense if your driving especially if they are operating the cone system. Which they were, against us. Uncle Martin was griping the wheel in fear, dodging the stray cones all the way up the mountain in the bus. We had set-off 15 minutes after the bus and caught up to them near Granada. At least they won’t get lost this time, although Kath did say they nearly missed the Granada turn. The bus was hugging the slow lane not daring break 80Kmh. I tried to slow down so they could follow. However we had a local police car between us and the Bus. Martin refusing to overtake them. I was only going 30kmh over the limit!
Which of the amazing sites would be the highlight of the families trip? Would it be the Alcazaba with its superb views of Granada? Or the impressive, even if not completed, Palace of Charles V? Maybe the highlight will be the world famous Nasrid palaces? Nope. Only two things dominated the discussion of our trip to the Alhambra. The first was outside whilst having our picnic. A stray dog wandered up to us. It was over the moon when we kept throwing a few scraps. It ended up being better fed than me.
Dingo in the Car Park.
With tickets collected (Note to anyone going to the Alhambra: Pre-book your tickets or queue for hours with no guarantee of getting in), audio guides purchased, we entered the grounds and started the tour. The first stop was the Medina and the Gardens of San Francisco. Then it was the ruins of the Abencerrajes palace and on to the Royal street.
View of Granada from the tower.
The second highlight of the trip for mama and papa was in the Alcazaba. Time was tight as entry to the Nasrid palaces was at 3:00pm. Just time for a quick look around. The young ones had made it to the top tower when mama appeared in all of a fluster. Apparently, a fat man had barged past her on the steps, nearly knocking her down. Said fat man got a right ear bashing. He continued down the steps not in ignorance but more in sheer panic in case Mama "Kick yer shins in" Burkett went for more retribution.
Mama points out the crime scene.
In the Nasrid Palace we enjoyed the sights. The amazing muslim architecture, the use of water, the decorative ceilings. Don’t forget to look up when walking around as the ceilings are usually the highlight of the room. The one disappointment I had was a number of rooms were closed due to renovation. This include the main "Lion" fountain in the centre of the main courtyard. Papa was expressing a different disappointment. "When your in England on a tour, they tell you where all the murders took place…". Not enough gore for him. He managed to feign a bit of interest in the "Sala de los Abencerrajes". Apparently the last sultan of Granada had the "Abencerrajes" family massacred in this room while attending a banquet. The stains in the fountain being their blood, according to legend. "Don’t look like blood to me" and with that Papa slopes off to the next room.
Monica listening to the audioguide.
We had missed the Palacio de Carlos V due to time limits. So , we decided to double back and go see it before the gardens of the Generalife. Not mama, papa or Lyn though. Their back legs had gone. They would wait outside for us. So it was a lightning tour of the palace and then the gardens before meeting back with the grumpy ones and the journey back home. A cultural delight, even if mama and papa didn’t appreciate it.
In the Generalife.
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