Tales from the Alhambra

Today we got up a bit earlier so that we could get on the road for the trip to Granada. The trip was uneventful, apart from the traffic jam at Málaga's ring-road, which delayed us slightly. Our bus has a DVD player and two screens, so a movie was requested and luckily Marcus, our Indago guide, provided a handful to choose from.

We started the visit to Granada walking along the city centre on our way to the Royal Chapel where the Catholic Monarchs, Isabel and Fernando, were buried. We enjoyed an introduction to the history of Granada and the role it played in the unification of the many kingdoms that conformed today's Spain, as well as the role of queen Isabel in supporting Columbus' expedition to what he thought where the Indies.

Next to the Royal Chapel stand the Cathedral, an impressive temple filled with works of art of different styles. The organ attracted a good deal of attention, as well as King Fernando's crown and sword.

By the time we finished the visit to the Cathedral we were quite hungry, so we enjoyed an hour to try some of the culinary delights of the city, such as its famous tapas, or the icre-cream displayed in a highly artistic manner.

The Alhambra is one of the most beautiful buildings one can visit, and is such a popular destination (with more than 3 million visits last year) that it is essential to organise tickets well in advance. Since we had an appointment at 3 pm at the Alhambra, we had to then walk quickly uphill to ensure that we were there on time.

Once inside the Alhambra, we started by visiting some of the palaces and buildings part of the complex, before visiting the Generalife palace and gardens. Unfortunately the rain appeared again, but luckily it was almost time for us to get back to the bus for the return trip to Marbella anyway.

I am not sure how many of us watched the movie in the return trip in its entirety, for we had indeed walked a good deal and we were feeling quite tired. We got back to Marbella in time for our dinner at the promenade, and some free time to before heading back to the hotel.

Tomorrow we will have the second day of lessons and then a trip to Ronda, another beautiful destination. But let's not jump ahead!