Granada, an architectural paradise
Traveling to Spain was an adventure of a lifetime. I really enjoyed my trip to Spain and would highly recommend going there. During my trip I decided to visit four main cities, Barcelona, Madrid, Granada, and Segovia.
One of the most beautiful and ancient cities in Spain. Granada is located in the south of Spain close to Africa and Morocco.
It is known for the famous Alhambra, a fortress built by the Nasrid Dynasty and was later occupied by Catholic monarchs. Granada is filled with tons of beautiful and ancient architecture. To begin our adventures in Granada we started with the Alhambra.
The Palace is mesmerising on the outside but once you enter the inside it is even better. The geometrical designs covering the walls and ceilings is any architects heaven. To enter the Alhambra one must purchase a ticket and can only enter during a designated time. Also, tours are offered, but we enjoyed the palace without any tour needed. In my opinion I prefer to explore it by myself.
Adjacent to the Alhambra is the Generalife and the Nazaries Palaces, which was also built by the Nasrid Dynasty. The Generalife is filled with exquisite gardens due to the fact that it was built as a summer palace and a place for the monarchs to relax. If one is lucky enough and the weather permits, the gardens are the perfect opportunity to admire nature and take some lovely photos for social media. Walking along side the palace with all the gardens it feels like you are in a movie like Lord of the Rings or something like that, it’s so medieval I loved it.
That evening we did some more walking and just walked along some of the streets and passed some of the markets along the way. We then decided to eat at a Moroccan restaurant for dinner. While there we had delicious traditional food for Morocco and had the famous Moroccan tea. It was as close as we were going to get to actually being in Morocco, at least for now. We went to the hotel after dinner with our bellies full and legs tired.
The following day we were on a mission to see all of the other famous monuments and places in Granada. We started early in the morning at the Plaza Isabel la Católica. The statue was beautiful, but I especially liked the little garden and the fountain below it. Our next stop was the San Jeronimo Monastery. The architecture of the building is stunning and by far one of my favorite architectural structures. The inside is just as cool as the outside. It is covered in gold with beautiful designs all along the ceiling. Additionally to add to the amazing Monastery there is small garden along the sides filled with orange trees! So beautiful! Next we visited the Palace of Charles V. The Palace is located near the Alhambra and next to the Nasrid Palaces. It is a dome like interior with a big open circle in the middle.
After visiting that we stopped to refuel. We had some churros y porras at a local restaurant. Our last stop of the day was the Granada Cathedral. It was about a 20 minute walk from the Alhambra to the Cathedral. The Cathedral was built during the Renaissance and is known for its lavish gold interior. One thing I found really fascinating about the Cathedral is that it is located in the main plaza and is among other buildings and shops in the plaza. On our last day in Granada we visited the plaza Nueva in Albaicin, which is around half an hour walking from the Alhambra. We spent most of the day exploring the plaza, but in the evening we went to Sacromonte where we were to see the famous Flamenco dancing. We climbed up Sacromonte toward La cueva de la Rocio. I believe we bought tickets ahead of time to watch the show. The show started later in the evening once it was dark. It was an amazing experience to see authentic and traditional Flamenco.
On our way back to the hotel we could see the Alhambra while we went down the hillside. It was the perfect way to end our journey in Granada.
written by Isabella