The apartment in the El Albaicin district is roomy enough for the bikes and fairly comfortable. We're in the oldest Arab neighborhood in Granada, dating to the 13th century, and there's some weirdness, notably the glassed in shower in the bedroom. I pressed the wrong valve while trying to adjust the temperature and a stream of water came shooting straight out onto the bed. Adventure!
Jacquie GaudetI expect that was the only place to fit it in. Truly, though, I’d want to know about this before booking. Reply to this comment 6 months ago
Janice BranhamTo Jacquie GaudetIf I had read all the reviews I would have known about it. Some people were not happy about showering in full view. Reply to this comment 6 months ago
We planned to mail the pile of gear that won't be needed for a couple weeks on to Sevilla from here but my timing is off. None of the post offices in Granada are open on Saturday. There are UPS access points open today, whatever those might be, so we'll try that route after our tour of the Alhambra. All the superfluous stuff is loaded into our daypacks, ready to be stowed in a locker while we take the tour. We hoist them on and start hiking up the hill.
Oof, offloading this stuff will definitely lighten things up. The bright green bag holds straps and a waist belt that convert our panniers to a backpack. Makes it easier to manage bikes and gear in train stations and airports. We won't need them for awhile either.
We stow the bags and get to the Nasrid Palaces just in time for our 9:00 entry tickets. The palaces were built by the Sultan Al-Ahmar in the 13th century. The audio tour offers fascinating background on the history and design of this dazzling place.
The Hall of the Ambassadors that was the throne room is covered with decorative inscriptions of poetry praising God and the emir. I'm gaping in wonder at the elaborate patterns that are pieced together on the wooden ceiling.
The beauty and craftsmanship of the decorative art in the palaces are just astonishing. We move next to the rooms and gardens of the royal residence. These were expanded after King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella seized Granada and the Alhambra in 1492, but the Islamic character of the place remains.
Hexagonal gardens surround the fountain in the royal courtyard of the Lindaraja
Janice BranhamTo Scott AndersonIt really is a one of a kind experience. Glad we made it here. And that you are back in action! Reply to this comment 6 months ago
There's much more to see at the Alhambra than what I've posted here. In the interest of catching up on the journal, here are just a few more scenes from the gardens of the Generalife. The name comes from the Arabic word for "The Architect's Garden." This was an agricultural area and a royal retreat.
A Water Staircase leads to the highest point on the estate. Water flows down the railings to three circular landings with fountains used for ritual purification. The source of the water was the River Darro, pumped up the hill through a complex hydraulic system. Amazing.
Our eyeballs and brains are overflowing with wonder at this place. We're ready to sit down and process it over lunch, but first there's that shipping errand with the daypacks. There's a line of taxis waiting here. With our loaded daypacks, it's too cheap and easy to resist. We hop in a cab and the driver drops us at the Plaza Isabel La Catolica in the city center.
Monument to Isabella the Catholic, with Christopher Columbus
The first alleged UPS Access Point on Google Maps is a tobacco shop, where the clerk shakes his head. Nope, they don't do any shipping. The next access point is nowhere to be found.
On our third try, another tobacco shop, there's a "UPS Access Point" sign in the window. They do indeed handle shipments, but only for small boxes. The fourth can ship a big box, and we'll surely need one for all this stuff, but they don't supply boxes and don't know where we might get one.
Clearly we don't know what we're doing here, and since most of these places close for the afternoon at 1:30, this will not be happening today. All the stuff will get stuffed back in the panniers until Monday when we find a post office down the road somewhere. Oh well. At least there's lunch.
Lunch, and dessert!, at a sidewalk cafe by the Fountain of the Granadas
