Days 5 & 6
The Star of the Show-- the Alhambra
After touring small, quaint towns, arriving to cosmopolitan Granada felt like culture shock due to its energy and big city feel. Dozens of tapas bars, historical sites and sweeping boulevards awaited discovery.
A quick orientation walk helped calm the nerves of being thrust into this busy place. Granada became tame and inviting. We could hardly wait for free time to see it all, especially the tapas bars!
Time to leave for our group dinner in the Albaicín area of town. Taxis dropped us off at the Plaza de San Nicolás. From here you see the Alhambra for the first time, elegantly holding court over the valley. A street band provided a fitting soundtrack to this viewing party.
We walk to Restaurant Las Tomasas. We have a front row seat to view the Alhambra the rest of the evening! I had no idea that we would be having dinner on a private lawn in the presence of one of the most famous sites in the world. One of the best sunsets and wow moments ever!
Alhambra = Unbelievable
Then came the Alhambra.
Our early timed entry—thank you, Rick Steves team—meant we slipped inside and stayed one beat ahead of the crowds. Clouds softened the colors. Gardens glowed. I tried to listen to another engaging and knowledgeable guide, but once again, my brain overloaded with awe. The geometry. The carvings. The endless repetition of perfect design. Washington Irving helped save this place with ¨Tales of the Alhambra,¨ and standing there, I couldn’t help but feel grateful to him—even 200 years later. The Alhambra had to to be one of the most magnificent buildings I have ever visited.
The Alhambra’s vast history cannot possibly be detailed in this scrapbook. Look up, look down, look all around. Everywhere there is something unique and wonderful to see. My jaw dropped quite a few times. You must see it to believe it!
What a town!
A free afternoon and evening meant time to have lunch and go on an evening tapas bar crawl.
Little Morocco made our must do list for lunch. We found one of the restaurants mentioned in Rick's Spain Guidebook. Arrayanes. The red carpet rolled out to us after we showed our waiter his name in the guidebook! In fact, Rick ate there too, as evidenced by his picture front and center among dignitaries and celebrities.
For our tapas bar crawl, we scored a fabulous table at a café right along the Paseo de los Tristes. We enjoyed sitting and watching the world go by. It was time to join the others strolling on the boulevards. Going back to the hotel, Jim and I both agreed that this tour hit a home run. We could not have done it better. We still have Ronda and Sevilla ahead of us!
