Recuerdos de la Alhambra--Granada

Note: I've done a pretty bad job with updating lately, many apologies! Our Granada trip was Feb. 19-20.

As our last trip with the UNC program, we took a weekend journey to Granada, a beautiful city nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountains in Andalusia. Granada is also home to La Alhambra, the renowned Islamic fortress that dates back to the mid 14th century; as one of our professors put it, it is truly a city inside of a city.

In Granada, we went to visit La Capilla Real, the final resting place of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella or Los Reyes Catolicos. Additionally we went to the Cathedral in Granada, another beautiful spectacle of the city. I have generally enjoyed traveling around Andalusia, because there are so many differences even between cities. Compared to Sevilla, Granada was a wonderful oasis away from the bustle--it is still a big city but because of it's proximity to the countryside and the mountains, it maintains a small town feel. As we walked the authentic cobblestone streets, peering at the various graffiti and hopping into tapas bars, I felt very consumed by the true Spanish lifestyle. The first night, our professors also took us on a mini-hike to the top of the city in order to see the beautiful view of the Alhambra. Like many of my adventures so far, it felt unreal. But after our official tours with the group, we had some free time as well. Saturday night we went to a tea shop for some DELICIOUS Pakistani tea that was infused with cinnamon, milk and a monton (means a lot in Spanish) of other things as well as some hookah. Although several people in our group decided to club it up that night in Granada, it was super relaxing and nice to just have a chill night with some friends.

Ferdinand y Isabella

La Catedral

Streets of Granada

Sierra Nevadas in the background

Granada graffiti

Sunday was the day of La Alhambra. But before we jumped on the bus to go to the fortress, a few friends and I decided to utilize my guide book in order to make good use of the day. We ended up going on a fantastic little tour of writer Federico Garcia Lorca's former (summer) house, where he wrote the majority of his work! It was so neat to see this house, which was built in the beginning of the 1900s with all of its original furniture as well as original artwork and diary entries from Lorca. It was honestly one of the best parts of the trip!

Outside Huerta de San Vicente (Lorca's house)

And finally we went to La Alhambra, the ancient Islamic stronghold that is nestled in the heart of Granada. Honestly, going there was such a fantastic experience that it is hard to put into words. My Dad has forever been enamored with Spanish guitar and one of his favorite songs is actually the title of this post; as I wandered around the fortress, I couldn't help but be entranced, just as I was by the beautiful song. Let these photos do the talking.