The drive to Granada from
Oliva was a significant step for us – once we had passed Murcia it was all new,
as we’d not yet visited ‘northern’ Andalucia (we’d always hugged the coast
previously!). We’d frequently said we wanted to see the ‘biggies’ that we’d not
yet made time for – this time it included Granada and the Alhambra – and by
going in May we’d hoped to avoid the intense heat of the summer proper but for
it to still be nice and toasty.
So it came as a bit of a
surprise for us as we reached our campsite, Alto de Viñuelas in Beas de
Granada, that not only did we have spectacular views of the Sierra Nevada from
the site, but that the peaks were still capped with snow along a very well
defined snow line.
We’d chosen this site as it was
a short 20 minute hop into the city – for the princely sum of €1.40 each way.
The site has a high turnover of visitors which was a bonus for us, as we were
able to swap to a different pitch on night two with amazing views of the
mountains – both day and night, as the full moon lit the snowy skyline in a
clear and otherwise unlit sky.
Our first full day saw us
hop on the bus for an initial explore of the city. Tickets for the Alhambra need
to be booked in advance (and entry to the Nasrid Palaces is only by timed entry
that you choose when booking) and although we arrived on a Wednesday, the fist
tickets available were for the Saturday afternoon – a lesson learnt! Day one
then was for us to explore the city at our leisure – and what a treat it was.
Although Granada is
understandably heaving with tourists in the popular areas, it doesn’t take much
to get off the tourist track and wander round what is a grand city, with a mix
of wide boulevards and narrow lanes allowing plenty of shade and cool.
This didn’t stop us from
climbing up the hill to see the bits of the Alhambra that are free. It’s a
truly amazing place and although it has been much restored over the ages, it is
an impressive sight, and the steady tread of the tourist throngs doesn’t
diminish its scale and beauty.
As it’s set on a hill
overlooking a valley to the old gypsy quarter (the Albaycin) there are some
spectacular and amusing moments – such as groups of tourists taking photos of
each other from the miradors on each side of the valley as part of capturing
their views!
Day two saw us ease back
into a mixture of chores (the build up of dirty clothes has to be tackled at
some point!) and a walk to the local village – where a coffee can be had for as
little as €1 of a massive 1Kg of meat and a bottle of wine to share for €20 (we
stuck to the coffee!).
Although it’s only a 20
minute walk to the village, it’s uphill on the way back and it was getting hotter
than we’d been used to so far – so the pool at the campsite called out for a
testing – perfect!
We’d also been joined on the
adjacent pitch by a lovely couple from Bristol (Anne and Martin) who were
heading in the direction we’d just come from on the eastern coast. It’s not
that often we find such like-minded travellers and it was a treat listening to
their travel tales over the next couple of nights.
Day three saw our
timed-ticket visit to the Alhambra. We caught the bus and got off at the edge
of the Albaycin district to get the view of the Alhambra we’d seen other
tourists enjoying when we were on the Alhambra side. You can’t beat a proper
cliché!
The barrio is a pleasant mix
of small lanes and houses with a liberal smattering of restaurants plying for
trade - and all advertising the same Flamenco spectacular – apparently good fun
and on the outskirts of town.
The views across the valley
to the Alhambra are worth the throngs and give an altogether different feel to
the scale of the walls.
As we’d walked the hill up
to the Alhambra before, we thought we’d treat ourselves to the shuttle bus
after we’d topped up on double empanadillas for lunch. This may not have been
such a good plan, as when combined with the fetid heat of the sardine-like
crammed bus, poor Mrs B suffered a fainting fit – much to the alarm of the
multi national passengers – and yours truly! Aided by a liberal splashing of
much water from a variety of passengers, including a lovely Ukrainian family
who I managed to thank in my schoolboy Russian, Mrs B came round just as the
bus reached the entrance to the Alhambra. Luckily, we didn’t need to call the
Cruz Roja as I’m not sure Mrs B would have fitted in the ambulance…
Although we went in, she was
in no fit state to make the Nasrid Palace timed entry, so we spent a pleasant
couple of hours lounging on a bench in the cool of the beautiful gardens in the
‘Generalife’ part of the grounds.
As the afternoon cooled, we
made our way back to the bus stop to get back to the campsite – just making the
last bus back! So we might just have to return to Granada in the future to see
the inside bits of the Alhambra – and maybe a bit of walking in the Alpujarras
and other bits of the Sierra Nevada! It’s certainly an area of Spain that
warrants a decent amount of time to explore.
Next stop – Córdoba!
S.
Granada and the Alhambra has always been on our list, more so having read the blog. Mind you, looks like we may have to join a lengthy queue!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear Mrs B now fully recovered from heat faint, and Mr B - schoolboy russian! - yet another linguistic light tucked under your bushel?
In the main, would seem rule in Espana is don't get sick, but if you must get sick, don't get grande!