Our trip to Spain in 2011 was an adventure of mishaps, starting with realizing we didn’t have a charger for the new camera we had purchased for the trip. Many of our “better” photos by our halfway point in Granada were taken as quickly as possible to conserve battery, while others were with an early generation iPhone. The selfie had not yet come into full force, so our attempts were pretty amateur. Granada is a sprawling city in the Spanish state region of Andalulsia. The Sierra Nevada Mountains make up the city’s eastern border. Granada’s history includes both African Moorish influences and Spanish Catholic, so at times we felt more like we had left Europe and were wandering the alleys of Morocco during the Middle Ages. .
The Alhambra
The Alhambra needs nearly an entire day to explore fully. Our visit started with a walk from the Plaza below, which was lined with grottos, sculptures (some quite intriguing) and gardens. Though I don’t remember why, we found the ticketing process stressful and were thankful to find a refreshment stand offering beer just inside. In 2011 Audio Tours were all the rage, so we used it to guide ourselves through the Alcazaba Fortress, the Palace and the Generilife Gardens.
Granada Streets
Our hotel was conveniently located in the Plaza Nueva, where we could easily walk to The Alhambra, the medieval streets of Albaicín and take photos from the Mirador of San Nicolas.
Granada Sites
(& Some Science)
It wouldn’t be a trip to a European city without seeing epic religous historic sites, and we checked those boxes in Granada with the Catedral Santa Maria and the Monasterio de la Cartuja
Aside from the many historic offerings, Granada is also know for the interactive museum exhibits at Science Park. The collections ranged from live butterflies and the natural sciences to a planetarium.
Salobreña
We took a half-day excursion to the tropical Mediterranean town of Salobreña. While Alex had sailed the Mediterranean on a Navy Deployment, it was my first time seeing the Sea. Because it was early in tourist season and during siesta, we found the town nearly deserted for much of our visit.
