Granada, Spain

Sorry for the delay on this blog post! On a week-long vacation in Andalusia Spain I took over 1400 photos so it really has taken me this long to sort through them and photoshop the ones I want to put up on the blog. So here they are.
Last Sunday I went to the airport in Paris and met the two other teaching assistants who would be traveling with me. It was the first time any of us had met, other than sending some emails back and forth before the trip. Luckily neither of them seemed like axe-murders. To the contrary they seemed like, and turned out to be, great travel partners. Anyway... we got on our flight and in two hours we had left the cold and cloudy north of France and were landing amid a massive olive field (which we would later learn can describe the entire south of Spain.) Welcome to Granada!The weather was fabulously warm and sunny so after checking into our hostel we took off to explore this very laid back and hippie-friendly city. We grabbed some lunch and sat in the plaza in front of the cathedral to eat while being serenaded. It was a great welcome.
Oranges are incredibly prelevent in southern Spain. Everywhere you go there are oranges for sale, oranges smashed on the ground and orange trees lining city streets. For three people from the mid to northern realms of the USA this was quite intriguing.
So intriguing in fact that Michael decided to pick an orange off one of the street-lining trees.
Unfortunately they are horrendously sour. But it was worth the experience. We each tried a slice, but I don't think I'd recommend it.
We went on to see the statue of Columbus and Queen Isabella. Very important to this city since it's where the explorer asked permission to try his theory at the end of the 15th century. The photo of us is nice, but you can't really see the statue. I think we're more interesting and attractive than they are anyway...
Next we decided to take a hike to the top of one of the hills that surround the town for a view as the sun started to set. On the way up we encountered some of Granada's stray dogs.
And a very large set of stairs that let almost all the way up to the top.
And incredibly large plants from the cactus family. We spent a good portion of the afternoon just sitting at the top with a substantial group of locals. We headed back down eventually and went on a fantastic tapas tour, which our hostel organized. Tapas is a southern Spanish tradition. In the evenings, usually around 9pm, people go out for a drink and something to eat. Tapas are generally smaller portions of traditionally Spanish dishes. In Granada they come free with your purchase of a beer. Elsewhere you pay for the beer and the food. On our tour I believe my favorite was fried aubergine (eggplant) with honey. Amazing!
The next morning we purchased train tickets for our departure the following day and set out to see the massive cathedral in Granada. The stained glass was particularly impressive.
Then we headed for the Alhambra, the top tourist sight in the city. It sits on the top of a hill just next to the city. It was once the home of the Moorish kings, who ruled what is today southern Spain for centuries. These Islamic peoples from northern Africa had quite the knack for creating amazing buildings and gardens. So incredible were the buildings that the Christians didn't destroy them when they conquered the Moors in the early 16th century. The Alhambra, and therefore Granada, was the last stronghold of the Moors.
Everything is perfectly detailed. The stone work, the tiles, the floors, the gardens, everything.
Muslim law prohibits decorating with images, so mosaic designs and scripture from the Qu'ran is all there is at the Alhambra (and any other Muslim building you might see). This is the symbol for "Allah" and it appears in the Alhambra several thousand times.
A perfect example of the detail at the Alhambra. This is one of the many courtyards and that entire wall is covered with decoration.
Erika sat and enjoyed the view of Granada from the fortress on the hill.
Even the Alhambra's windows are decorated intricately and delicately. The design also provides a bit more shade from the hot summer sun without blocking too much light or the breeze. While we were there it was around 50 degrees so it wasn't really an issue, but I can imagine it at the end of July.
Besides having stray dogs in the town, the Alhambra seemed to have a plethora of stray cats who enjoyed looking regal while sunning themselves.
Another good example of the decorative work that covers the Alhambra, without using and images of things Allah has made, just designs and scriptures.
The mosaics were still brightly colored and, I think, a bit reminiscent of a pattern that was probably also popular in the 1960s.
We climbed higher to soak up more sun and views of the white city.
Then we headed to the summer palace, which is ironically located just next to the main palace, to explore the extensive gardens.
The Sierra Nevada mountains were in the background in all their snow-capped glory. The Alhambra is literally between a mountain and a river. After a very full and tiring afternoon at the Alhambra we headed back to the hostel early.
On our last morning in Granada we visited a Romanesque monastery on the outskirts of town, by the university and then enjoyed some fabulous churros in the center of town.
This may very well be my favorite food in Spain, so perhaps it's good I don't live there. That would be very dangerous.
And after our churro meal we packed up and walked to the train station for a beautiful ride through the Spanish countryside. Passing hundreds of thousands of olive trees and majestic mountains we headed to our next adventure in Cordoba.
My overall impressions of Granada are that it's a very laid back city with a million and one things to do in the region. I definitely could have spent my entire vacation here with day trips to the beach and the mountains. It did get quite cold once the sun went down, so I was glad we were heading farther south towards the warmth. I would highly recommend Granada to anyone thinking of going to Spain and you have to stay at the Oasis hostel there. By far the best hostel I've ever stayed at.
I'll keep going on the photos and try and have Cordoba and Sevilla up before Thursday when Jared comes to visit!!