Tales of La Alhambra

On Saturday morning, we woke up early again as we had reservations to visit La Alhambra. We opted to walk up the hill instead of take the bus, which proved the right choice since it led us through beautifully maintained forests, and almost no one was around. Reached the Alhambra at 8:45am. We explored the numerous palaces, buildings and fortress walls for hours. (The Alhambra is a palace, first built by an Arabian sultan in 1234. In 1492, it changed hands to the Catholic kings who built an additional palace to the complex in the name of Carlos V.) The old Arabic architecture was fascinating and evoked a magical feeling.














After spending a few hours there, we walked back to the hotel for lunch in the room and a siesta.

In the afternoon, we set out again to explore more of the Arab neighborhood. We found another lively street similar to the one from the day before.


This time we decided to experience one of the Moroccan tea rooms. The place was jammed. Everything surrounding us was intricately decorated with vivid primary colors and Arabic patterns. We sat on tiny stools and sipped Moroccan tea... For those who haven't tried it, it's delicious! And perfectly sweetened.


Went back to the hotel kill time until the tapas bars gained some more life.

Around 8:30pm, we ventured out in search of the perfect tapas bar. We looked at many and decided on one around 9:30pm. There we enjoyed jamon iberico, manchego, olives, croquetta, gazpacho, one of their nightly meat specials and two glasses of Rioja.

Soon after we left, we spotted a tiny kitten in a plaza looking for dinner. As animal lovers, we couldn't let her go hungry for the night. So we went to an alimentacion and bought her a small croissant. We fed it to her piece by piece for about twenty minutes, and each time, she would take it back to her home in the bushes, eat it and come back for more... Always getting a little bit braver and closer.

Feeling good that we filled her tummy, we went back to the Arab neighborhood for more tea and dessert. We stayed there until about midnight and then went back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.

- Martin & Kate

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Location:Granada, Spain