Granada, Ubeda, Málaga & Córdoba

Granada

We arrived in Granada on Saturday, May 18^th around 4PM and navigated our way to within a block of our AirBnB. Javier, our host, had sent instructions for entering the unit, indicated that the apartment was on a pedestrian-only street, and said he would stop by around 5PM after his meeting was over. We followed the instructions for opening the front door and, voila, they didn’t work. After repeated attempts, we called Javier, who reiterated the failed instructions and then said he would be there in 5 minutes.

When he arrived, he noted that the keypad was not working, pulled out a set of keys and opened the door to the four-story complex with two units per floor. Javier explained that our unit was on the third floor and then he said the magic word – “you can use the elevator to bring your luggage up”. Elevator! I thought Liz was going to kiss him.

This is far and away the best unit of our trip to this point. Two-bedrooms (we have booked two-bedroom units everywhere to accommodate friends and family that have been invited to join us along the way…to date, the 2^nd bedroom has proved necessary to hold our luggage, sigh), almost new, well furnished, plenty of room and perfectly clean. Javier explained that he manages seven of the eight units in the building – he’s basically running his own hotel here in Granada.

After unpacking, Liz and I walked two blocks to a grocery store, picked up a few items for dinner and returned home. We dined on wine and cheese, I worked on the blog, while Liz did laundry and planned the Ireland portion of our trip which was now only six weeks away.

Granada sits in southern Spain, about an hour’s drive to the Mediterranean, at the confluence of four rivers: the Darro, the Genil, the Monachil and the Beiro. It also sits in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The highest peak in the range is Mt. Mulhacén at 11,414 ft, the highest point in Spain. With a population of nearly 240,000 (almost twice that including nearby communities), it is Spain’s 13^th largest city and has over 80,000 students on five university campuses. Together with 2 million tourists annually, Granada feels young and vibrant in spite of its ancient past.

This area of Spain has been populated since at least 5500BC and the Romans established cities throughout Spain in the centuries on either side of the birth of Christ. Things really started to pick up in 711AD when the Moors arrived. Due to its superior location in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, access to four rivers, proximity to the Mediterranean and gateway to acres and acres of farming plains, the ruler of the Moors decided to establish his kingdom in Granada. For nearly 800 years, the Moors ruled this part of Spain until the Christians defeated the Moors in 1492.

In the morning, after breakfast of coffee and fruit, it was time for Liz and I to take in some of this amazing history. We did our own walking tour of Granada based upon a website that Liz had found. We walked all over the oldest parts of the city, which happens to include where our apartment is located. Some of the highlights include Plaza Nueva where we encountered a flamenco dancer, multiple churches, the Muslim section (Sacromonte), other plazas, shopping, restaurants and pedestrian friendly streets throughout. One of the must-see sites is San Nicolas Church, which sits in the foothills of the city and is surrounded by a plaza offering breathtaking views of Alhambra (to be discussed later) and the Sierra Nevada mountains. On our walk back, we stopped at Granada Cathedral. It is massive and beautiful on the outside and, since it was now closed, we knew we would be returning again to explore the interior of this gem. From there, we returned home having walked over 6 miles and enjoyed a home cooked meal of pasta and salad.

Plaza Nueva 

Alhambra from San Nicolas Church

Ubeda

On Monday, we drove 1½ hours north to Ubeda, a town of 35,000 that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (it seems everything here is). Again, we walked throughout the town to take in the many sights including Vázquez de Molina Square, surrounded with imposing Renaissance buildings such as the Palacio de las Cadenas and the Basílica de Santa María. We drove back a different way and were struck that during the entire time of driving to and from Ubeda, we were almost always driving through groves of olive trees – literally millions upon millions of olive trees.

Basílica de Santa María

Málaga

On Tuesday we drove 1½ hours west and south to Málaga, on the coast of the Mediterranean. Málaga, with a population of over 570,000, is the 6^th largest city in Spain. Málaga's history spans about 2,800 years, making it one of the oldest cities in Europe and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Founded by the Phoenicians in 770BC, Málaga has been ruled by Carthage, the Romans and the Moors, eventually falling to the Christians in 1487. Again, we walked this amazing city to take in its incredible history.

First stop, the Castillo de Gibralfaro situated on top of Mount Gibralfaro. The Phoenicians established the original fortification here due to its strategic location high on a hill overlooking the city and port, and each successive ruler of Málaga has added to it grandeur. The castle is famous for its three-month siege in 1487 by the Catholic monarchs, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. From here, we headed to nearby Alcazaba, a palatial fortification built by the Hammudid dynasty (Moors) in the early 11th century. Adjacent to the entrance of the Alcazaba are remnants of a Roman theatre dating to the 1st century BC which looked strikingly similar to the ruins we had seen previously in Valencia.

Castillo de Gibralfaro

Alcazaba 

We enjoyed lunch at El Pimpi in a plaza opposite the Roman ruins and then headed to the Picasso Museum. Pablo Picasso was born in Málaga and spent his early childhood there until his father moved the family to Barcelona. The museum in Málaga was established thanks to donations of art pieces by Picasso’s grandson, Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, and his wife, Christine. With nearly 250 pieces of art, the museum is a wonderful exhibit of Picasso’s long career from the earliest years to his death in his 80’s. This exhibit focuses most intensely on his relationship with Olga Khokhlova, a ballerina from Russia, his first wife and grandmother to Bernard, and contains many personal effects, including letters between Picasso, Olga and Olga’s family in Russia.

Picasso's "Three Graces"

Our last stop in Málaga was the Cathedral of Málaga which most simply call “The Cathedral” and it is amazing, actually jaw-dropping.

Cathedral of Málaga

After a nine-mile day of walking, we were back in the car heading home for Granada.

Granada

On Wednesday, Liz has arranged for us to take a 3-hour tour of Alhambra – Granada’s most popular tourist attraction. It’s about a 45-minute walk, much of it uphill, from our apartment and we stop along the way for coffee and croissants. We are a group of 26 folks for the English-language tour. Our tour guide, Tarek, speaks with a Mideast accent and I am able to track the majority of what he says, which is a lot as I don’t think he ever stopped talking.

Alhambra

Here’s what Wikipedia says about Alhambra – “It was originally constructed as a small fortress in AD 889 on the remains of Roman fortifications, and then largely ignored until its ruins were renovated and rebuilt in the mid-13th century by the Nasrid emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar of the Emirate of Granada, who built its current palace and walls. It was converted into a royal palace in 1333 by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada. After the conclusion of the Christian Reconquista in 1492, the site became the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabella (where Christopher Columbus received royal endorsement for his expedition), and the palaces were partially altered in the Renaissance style.”

“After being allowed to fall into disrepair for centuries, the buildings occupied by squatters, Alhambra was rediscovered following the defeat of Napoleon, who had conducted retaliatory destruction of the site. It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions, exhibiting the country's most significant and well-known Islamic architecture, together with 16th-century and later Christian building and garden interventions. The Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.”

And this place is huge. The buildings and surrounding gardens cover almost 25 acres. And adjacent to Alhambra are two other notable attractions - Palacio de Generalife and the gardens that surround this palace. Any visit to Alhambra should also include visits to these two attractions. Our tour did and it was completely worth it.

What makes Granada so interesting is its long history of Moorsih/Muslim life together with Christianity/ Catholicism. While they were natural enemies and the Christians mostly drove out the Muslims in the 15^th century, both still exist in Granada and their influences can be seen everywhere including some of the neighborhoods that are predominately Muslim today. It is evident that, in Granada, they are very proud of this co-existence.

Alhambra

We returned to our apartment late in the afternoon, took a quick nap, and then headed out for our evening adventure – an authentic flamenco cave performance. Here’s a brief history of flamenco and Granada.

“To understand the roots of Flamenco Shows in Granada we have to take a look back in time to the very core of Grenadian Flamenco – the Sacromonte, a primarily Moorish neighborhood in Granada.

The inhabitants of Sacromonte have been digging their homes in the mountain for centuries. On the outside they resemble any other house, but the inside is caved and has a very particular shape that make them unique in the world.

The Sacromonte is known as one of the birth places of Flamenco in Spain. After the conquest of Grenada in 1492, Moorish people were pushed out of the city walls and settled on the Sacromonte. There they met with the Gypsies. Since that moment, both cultures coexisted and merged in several ways. There was a big affinity between them due to both being considered outcast by society.

Zambra, the traditional Grenadian Flamenco, comes from the Arabic zumrã or “party”. It was part of the wedding ritual that Grenadian Moorish used to celebrate. It became prohibited by the inquisition in 16th century, but it remained being celebrated in secret. This tradition was absorbed, learned, and transformed by the Sacromonte´s Gypsies, who embraced the Zambra as their own tradition.

It was during the 18th and 19th centuries, when romantic writers arrived in Grenada, when the Zambra and the Flamenco burst as an art expression appreciated worldwide and the Flamenco Caves of the Sacromonte became famous. Travelers went to Sacromonte to meet the raw and pure Spanish Gypsy culture.

Today, Zambra is an artform genuine and unique to Grenada and Sacromonte, and it represents, in many ways, the very history of Grenada and its cultural heritage.”

OK, maybe not so brief, but perhaps interesting (at least to me) and great background as we walked the 1½ miles to Sacromonte and found Cueva de la Rocio where we would experience authentic Flamenco in a cave. The narrow cave goes back deep into the hills about 50 feet and is lined on either side by tightly packed chairs. We find seats in the middle and wait for the show to begin which ends up including four different dancers, a three-piece band (guitar, flute and drums) and a vocalist. The dancers move up and down the narrow strip between the chairs and you can literally feel them as they walk by. It is moving and powerful. At the end of their hour-long performance, we are invited to join them, which I reluctantly do and was happy to return to my seat as I am not cut out to be a Gypsy. Unfortunately, Liz captured this on video.

Liz getting ready to Flamenco at Cueva de la Rocio

The Flamenco performance is about to begin

The band, vocalist and dancers

After the dance performance, Liz and I walk to the plaza at San Nicolas Church where we had previously caught fantastic views of Alhambra on our first day in Granada. As it turns out, this was not a closely guarded secret, as the plaza was packed with tourists waiting for the sun to set on Alhambra. While standing on the crowded plaza, we noticed a restaurant immediately below us that had outdoor patio seating with an equally fantastic view. We moved to the restaurant and enjoyed a delicious medley of roasted vegetables over quinoa while witnessing the slow transformation of light to darkness as the exterior lights increasingly illuminated Alhambra. It was magical.

Alhambra early evening

Alhambra as dinner begins

Alhambra as we have dessert

Alhambra as we leave for home

By the time we got home, having walked nearly nine miles, we were exhausted and went straight to bed.

The next day, Thursday, May 23^rd, I was up early and working on the budget for Presidio Graduate School. I serve on Presidio’s board and chair the Finance Committee. We have a board meeting scheduled for June 3^rd with the principal purpose of approving the budget. It takes me nearly all day to complete my report after which I begin working on this blog post. Except for breakfast, I haven’t been out of the apartment today. Liz went window shopping earlier (came back mostly empty handed), bought some lunch items, did laundry and planned out the Scotland portion of our trip which is seven weeks away. Somehow this day feels a lot like being at home which, after four weeks, is not a bad thing.

Córdoba

For our last full day in Granada, Friday My 24^th, we have decided to drive to Córdoba, two hours northwest from Granada. Like most of southern Spain, Córdoba followed the path of Roman conquest, followed by the Visigoths (early Germans) and then the Moors in the 8^th century. Córdoba became the capital of the emirate and a center for education. By the 10^th century, it was the largest city in Europe. The Christians drove out the Moors in 1236. Today, with a population of 330,000, Córdoba is Spain’s 10^th largest city.

Our first stop was Mezquita which is both the largest mosque in the world, as well as the world’s largest temple, due to the city’s history of being first Muslim and then Christian. The architecture of Mezquita is unmistakenly Moorish and yet, in the middle of this mosque there is a large a Catholic church. This is rare to find as most of the mosques in Spain were destroyed by the Christians and a new Catholic church was then built upon its former foundation. In Mezquita, both have been beautifully preserved.

Mezquita 

Mezquita 

Mezquita 

Mezquita 

Mezquita 

From there, we walked the old town of Córdoba for a couple of hours until returning to Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos or Castle of the Christian Monarchs. King Alfonso XI built the castle in 1328 and, by the late 1400’s, it became the palace for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella and was the place where they met Christopher Columbus and authorized his discovery of the New World (apparently, Ferdinand and Isabella met with Columbus in both Córdoba and Granada). The castle is quite beautiful and the accompanying gardens are spectacular.

Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

The gardens at Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

The gardens at Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

The gardens at Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

The gardens at Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

Columbus with Ferdinand and Isabella in the gardens at Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

Our last stop in Córdoba was to walk across the Roman Bridge originally built in the 1^st century BC.

We then returned to our car, drove the 2 hours back to Granada and began packing our bags. The next stop on our adventure would be to fly to Bilbao, 500 miles due north of Granada, on the Bay of Biscay, part of the Atlantic Ocean. Here we have signed up for a nine-day adventure with REI to walk portions of the Camino de Santiago. To prepare for this, we each needed to pack a suitcase with the items needed for the nine-day hike and then put everything else in our large duffle bag that could be left in the REI van so we wouldn’t have to load and unload every night as we move from one hotel to the next. This took a little planning, but once complete, I took the two large duffels out to our rental car and put them in the trunk. We have a 7AM flight out the next day and don’t need the extra hassle of multiple trips to get our bags out of the apartment and into our car at 5AM which is in a parking lot 3 blocks away.

Once the car was parked, we headed to dinner at El Mercader, an adorable, small venue that served the best food we had in Granada. We got to bed early (10:30) and set our alarms for 4:30AM to get to the airport on time. Granada was a fantastic place to stay with so many interesting attractions to see, a great location from which to visit nearby towns, great food, great walking and, now, great memories.

Musings…

We continue to eat and drink our way through Europe! Yikes, thank God none of the AirBnBs have scales. Everyday, I wake up and say “I’m not going to eat bread today”…..I now know I score very low in the willpower category.

Finally - a wonderful AirBnb! Elevator and all. And the location was perfect. It was a fun week in the Granada area - lots to see and beautiful warm weather - all the old towns built against the newer portions (although still felt very old). Loved our little stop in Cartagena, very quaint town steeped in history and the ruins were just incredible. Also enjoyed Cordoba (remembered loving it from 30 years ago). Malcolm described the sights, but words can’t adequately describe how gorgeous these very old architectural gems are - and the history is just as fascinating.

The Spanish people are warm and extremely vibrant, as well as social. I have noticed over the past couple of weeks that there are lots of older people out - see them everywhere. Men and women in groups of old friends - some all men or just women and some together. I know this sounds crazy, but I don’t think you see that at home. And when I say older…okay...my age, but also much older. Loved seeing it - they feel as though they are a vibrant part of the culture. Out sitting next to the younger people, drinking, eating tapas and laughing. Very heartwarming.

I did have a mini meltdown on Thursday (or was it Wednesday, no idea). I just got so burned out on planning, sightseeing, visiting churches, etc. Ack!!! I decided to take a day off and do nothing - strolled through stores (bought nothing which was very disappointing) and did laundry - felt normal. Malcolm, as you know, did the major part of planning with regards to locations and housing. I have been doing the “what will we do when we get there?” planning. After a while it doesn’t matter - seen one church seen them all;). Kidding, but that’s the point I got to - so a little lazy day was just what the doctor ordered.

This was a great week in the Andalusian region of Spain. Highly recommend a visit (and we missed several interesting spots so plenty to see here). Off to hike the Camino with REI and 14 others (and not have to plan anything;)!).