Granada

View from the Alhambra to the southeast looking back at Sierra Nevada Mountains

Soldiers' quarters in the Alcazaba, the oldest part of the Alhambra

The wonderful gardens of the Generalife

Picture from Albacin: Alhambra with Sierra Nevadas in back

Spain is hard work!!!

In the last 12 days, we have been to Granada three times. First we toured the wonderful Alhambra (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra - sorry for laziness but Wikipedia will do much more justice to this amazing structure and its place in history than I ever could) and finished the day with a drink and some tapas looking to the west with the sun setting on the Alhambra and the magnificent Sierra Nevadas. The Alhambra was not a disappointment and I cannot think of any structure short of the Taj Mahal that is more awe inspiring.

In addition to the list of literature listed on Wikipedia, I just finished "Granada" by Radwa Ashour and it gives a compelling depiction of a Muslim family living in the Albacin (the Morrish Quarter of Granada) during the time that the Castilians overtook Granada. The treaty that was signed gave the Muslims religious and cultural  freedom but the Castilians (Catholics) changed their mind and began forcing the Muslims to convert to Christianity and abandon their faith and their Arabic customs. It seems that the author, an Egyptian woman, did quite loads of research and I found the presentation of family interactions, cultural customs, commerce and daily routine fascinating. It is a short book that gives a wonderful perspective of this critical time in world history.

Our second day in Granada, Angie and I roamed the Albacin and its wonderful streets and passageways that wind around in a manner that makes it easy to get lost. Portions of this extremely old neighborhood (600-1000 years old) are in disrepair while other portions have been converted into bars, restaurants, modern residences and smalll hotels.

Wider street in Albacin that has been converted into rows of little stores (Tiendas)

After getting purposely lost amongst these passageways we headed down the hill to a Hammam where we had an appointment. A Hammam is an Arabic bathhouse and they floruished in Spain until the Castilians began shutting them down during the Reconquest. They were cavernous buildings dedicated to bathing, massage and wellness. The one we visited was a wonderful recreation of what Hammams looked like back in the day. It was dark with minimal lights (much of the lighting was by candle) and had beautifully tiled rooms with arched ceilings and marble floors. There were seperate chambers for cold, warm, and hot baths (essentially pools),a steam room, a hot stone room, and additional rooms for massage. The design of the plumbing systems were quite intricate for the time as different water temperaturs flowed into each bath.

We were instructed to move amongst the rooms (spending 5-10 minutes in each) so that poors would be opened and shut and muscles would be relaxed. We received relatively short but excellent massages that were more along the lines of a deep tissue massage. Also, tea was constantly served as we moved from room to room. The location of the spa was in a tiny alleyway behind an old church. While it is a recreated hammam, the pamphlet claims that excavation of the structure that previously sat on this site leads one to think that a genuine hammam used to be in the same location.

After emerging from the hammam very relaxed, we met the Wrights (Chad, Lesley, Olivia and Anna) in Plaza Nuevo to do more exploring in the Albacin. The Wrights were visiting for the week and had come to Granada to tour the Alhambra.

Our third trip to Granada began with another adventure into the Alpujarras. This time we drove even further into the hills to Capileira. Chad and I did a nice hike that put us closer to the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains and the girls explored the town. We got back in the car and got to Granada in time to have a drink before our 10pm hammam (yes, the experience definitely merited a return) appointment. We emerged at midnight relaxed and ready to enjoy the nightlife of Granada which only begins to slow down at 3am.