Posted by I came here with my friends Sara & Casey. Most of my travel is cathartic and done solo so travelling with friends was actually a rare treat for me.
We had a h*lluva time getting to the main attraction in Granada – the huge Moorish complex know as La Alhambra. We kept going in the wrong direction! And thene when we finally did march up to the site, it took us a while to realise that we ahd come in almost the back way and had to go to the ticket counter at the far end of the complext to get tickets for the Palacio Nazaries and the Jardins. No go! Tix sold out.
So we resolved to have an early night of it – around midnight – and get up there early the next day. We arrived around 9.30am to find the line around a mile long. So we dutifully got into line. The Alhambra has a number of (quite spectacular) free areas which we had seen the day previous. Access to the Palacio and the Jardin Partals is capped at around 500 per day. We waited in line for almost 3 1/2 hours, making small talk with some Amrikan college students, occasionally hearing announcements about the dwindling number of tickets still available. They finally ran out of tickets when we were about 50 people from the front of the line. Ai de mi! (Is that even Spanish?)
A word about Granada. Of the three Andalucian cities, I think I like this one is the best (though Sevilla would be more likely as a living spot). All represent a pace of life, an ease and a friendliness that are appealing. Granada has incredible scenery, surrounded by the Sierra Nevada mountains, a seeming youthful range compared with the wonders Appalachians back home.
