About 10 years back, my parents took our family to Spain. I remember falling in love with the Alhambra so much, that I made it a point inside me that I'd come back and visit it again.
When Zoe & I decided that we'd go to Spain I thought we could squeeze in a trip to Granada as well, but given that we only had 5 days it was rather hard to cover two cities. But after much spamming of Alhambra pictures by me (thanks to @spain.vacations on Instagram, they have some really nice photos of Spanish cities and its attractions guys!) and a well thought-out itinerary based on what we want to cover and how convenient it was to get to those places from our hotel in Seville, we found a full-day where we can spend visiting Alhambra in Granada instead (which was 3 hours away from Seville by bus/ train).
Since we only have a day, we really should maximise all our time and so one fine day I decided to check for Alhambra entrance tickets (previous experience reminded me that we had to buy tickets) and to my dismay, THEY WERE ALL SOLD OUT!
-__________________-
And mind you this was after I bought our bus tickets (because I read online that the bus were rather comfortable too and since it was half the price of a train ticket but the same amount of time spent travelling, I thought why not) so I'm like "What are we going to do in Granada?!" (based on my deteriorating memory, I didn't have much to do in Granada other than Alhambra). Thankfully the tickets were returnable because based on the travel tips I got online, Alhambra tickets should be booked 6 months in advance of your trip to avoid disappointment as they do limit the number of visitors per day to the Nasrid's Palace as it's an old wooden structure and when this happened it was just slightly above a month before our trip...
But what I was even more thankful is this little voice in my head (it could be gut feel, or it could be a guardian angel - I prefer to believe in the latter) told me; "Aisya, before you return the tickets, make one last check and see if you can find any more tickets".
So I actually Googled "Alhambra tickets sold out, what do I do?" and to my surprise there are many more other people like me and there were actually a lot of articles suggesting on what to do! Lol, guess I'm not the only one who plans a random trip to Alhambra last minutely..
The article told me to book this other Granada history sites tour (Dobla de Oro) that would also include entrance tickets to Alhambra and thank the lord some of these tours are based on allotment basis rather than live integration with the main ticketing system cause otherwise I wouldn't have tickets to Alhambra!
Even though the tour tickets are slightly more expensive that the Alhambra tickets only (as it includes tickets to other sites too obviously), but given we have saved so much more on our transportation tickets the extra EUR 4 is negligible.
After seeing the Alcazar and on the way to Plaza Espana Zoe & I were having this conversation about what's the most beautiful monument I've seen. Safe to say Alhambra was one of them (Kaabah isn't beautiful structurally but looking at it will give you a feeling that no other other structure can't compare) for me and upon hearing this Zoe was even more excited to see the Alhambra the next day to see if it lives up to the expectation.
That morning we both had to wake up rather early as our train to Granada was at 8.15AM and it takes about 20 minutes walk from our Hotel to the train station (pagi-pagi, sejuk-sejuk this girl wants to walk to the station.. Sabo jer lah...).
As Granada was slightly chiller than Seville, a thicker coat was required (and thankfully both Zoe & I found the perfect one in ZARA on the day we arrived #sempatlagi)
Upon reaching the train station, we bought some churros and coffee/ hot chocolate for me to be brought on the bus as "breakfast". During the three hour journey, I was buying stuff for my mother online (to be shipped to Megat - which we've already made plans that I'll see him before I fly back to Malaysia).
Me: Megssssssssssssssss..... What's your address? Need to send you a parcel for my mum
Megat: (insert address)
Me: Xie xie ni!
Megat: No problem. You have to stop by Stratford now
(Because previously I refused to as it was "too far" :p)
#kulilifecontinues
Once that was sorted out, both Zoe & I slept and woke up only about 10 minutes away from Granada's bus station. From the bus station, we took a cab from Alhambra, cause I remembered it being uphill and there was no way Zoe was going to make me walk uphill - I left all these "mountain climbing" activities back in Sheffield when I left that city almost 4 years ago..
Within 10 minutes we arrived at Alhambra, collected our tickets and made our way in. Mind you this was at 11.30AM-12PM around there
I've always wondered how they shaped these hedges, I mean, they're empty on the inside...?
I actually wanted to take photo of this old couple, but Zoe kacau pulak -.-
But look how cute they are! Old couples are like my favourite! It just warms my heart when I see them you know?
A very random hotel within the compound - Hotel America. Besides it's location, it's also a very random name for a hotel smack right in the middle of Spanish monument's compound..
One of the random gift shops within the compound also - just look at the detailed wood carving!
A craftsman working on his art.
This shop (and many other shops around the city) sells wooden boxes (and other wooden stuff - like game sets etc.) with such intricate detailing (some even have like mother of pearl on it). I remember as a child I really wanted a chess/ checkers set from this shop, but then my parents wouldn't buy me one because they spensive and they know those things always go missing. Despite how much I "promiseeeeee"d them I would really jaga the game set, they got me a normal box instead cause at least that way I'd have more use for it (e.g. keeping my jewellery).
As an adult coming back to this shop, I smiled inside my head at the thought of how right my parents were cause even I wouldn't get myself a set now as I know I won't be playing with it much and it'll go missing too, like the box they got me..
Is it just me or when you're abroad is when you feel the strongest #nationalpride - anywhere you find something of your country you'd be all excited..
Other gift shops' entrances
Some of the example of the wood craftsmanship - some are made as placemats(? really haven't figured out the use for some of it), some are as trays.. but true star here are the tiles and the wooden carving. Uhmazing!
St. Mary Church's view from the side (i.e. as you step out of the gift shop)
Building of St Mary Church of the Alhambra took 37 years (from 1581) and was completed in the 17th century.
Opposite it was an incomplete never occupied palace known as Palace of Charles V. To me it has always stuck out like a sore thumb in the Alhambra cause it is so different from its surroundings architecturally but it is beautiful on its own.
When Spain switched from its Moorish rulers to Christian monarchs, they were still leaving at Nasrid's Palace (more on it later) but Charles V decided to build his own larger, more spacious palace adjacent to the original palace.
The construction of the building started since 1527 and was to be covered with a domed ceiling like the Pantheon in Rome but was never finished and the roof on the superior gallery was only completed in 1957.
On top of that, Carlos V never lived here. When he died, Felipe II transferred his court to Madrid in 1561 and in 1607 Madrid became the capital of Spain.. Now the building is used for exhibitions.
It may not have a roof, but it has fine grand doors great for OOTD backdrops :p
This cat depicts my usual feels about dealing with hoomans on most days..
I feel you!
This is one of my favourite pictures of monuments/ scenery from this trip - it depicts very well the sad/ dead vibe of this building and its history.
Spot the #fashionfashion uncle!
Even though its not completed you can imagine how grand it'd have been if it was finished. And imagine what Rome must've looked like back in those days! I'd kill to walk around the Roman Forum during its glory days!!!
Even the stones were not polished..
Suddenly I feel like I'm back in Hogwarts..
I mean that can totally be the entrance to the dungeon where I'd have Potion class with Professor Snape/ Slughorn..
And that's the side of the grand staircase in front of the Great Hall, where they'd dump all your luggage when you first arrive while you dine.. I can just totally imagine it! #wrongcountrywrongcastleAisya
We had about 1 hour before we could enter the Nasrid's palace (this palace is the main attraction and is the reason why they limit the number of visitors to Alhambra in a day due to its structure. So when you buy the ticket, you'll have the select a time slot for you to enter the palace), so we thought of having a hot drink (don't be decieved by the sun! It was still below 20 degrees) and sandwiches as lunch.
Unfortunately my memory from 10 years ago has truly failed me, because I really thought there was a cafe around there but turns out all they had was a vending machine (which serves hot drinks, water and snacks) and whatever snacks/water/ice cream each of the gift stores were selling.. So there we were desperately counting our coins that we've been gathering the last 2 days to buy our "lunch".
We had about 1 hour before we could enter the Nasrid's palace (this palace is the main attraction and is the reason why they limit the number of visitors to Alhambra in a day due to its structure. So when you buy the ticket, you'll have the select a time slot for you to enter the palace), so we thought of having a hot drink (don't be decieved by the sun! It was still below 20 degrees) and sandwiches as lunch.
Unfortunately my memory from 10 years ago has truly failed me, because I really thought there was a cafe around there but turns out all they had was a vending machine (which serves hot drinks, water and snacks) and whatever snacks/water/ice cream each of the gift stores were selling.. So there we were desperately counting our coins that we've been gathering the last 2 days to buy our "lunch".
One of the gates of Alhambra - Alhambra means "the red one" and I guess judging by this gate, you can already imagine how it must've looked like back in the days and how it got its name.
We had our "lunch" at this open space area between the two palaces and Alcazaba (the fort tower). Surprisingly the space has a lot more cats!
If only I had a house that's not 13 hours flight away, I'd have totally taken this one back with me! So fluffy!!
View of the Albayzin from Alhambra
The view of Nasrid's palace from the outside
Entrance to the palace - I can't imagine the dedication that goes into the carvings of the tiles/ wood in this palace...
One of the corners in The Mexuar.
Back in the days, the Mexuar was used by the king for the meetings with the council and to grant audiences. I still remember this from the "tour commentary" I got from Mummy during our first visit.
This visit I learnt that once the Christians took over, the hall was turned into a chapel. #continuouslearning
Us in the Gilded Room
Patio of the Gilded Room
This was where the Alhambra made such an impact on the young Aisya, I mean just look at the wall behind me.. You can stare at it all day trying to figure out how they built this about 600 years ago where technology/ machineries are not as advanced as today..
One of the doors at Court of Myrtles.
Doors fascinate me because when you visit these kind of monuments, you're not allowed to go behind it so your mind is kinda left to wonder what must've happened behind these doors back then..
Guys, this ZARA jacket is amazing, I mean not only it was cheap (it was under EUR30!), its light but warm, so soft & super snug and on top of it all, it's pocket can fit your water bottle!
The doors at the side of this court were doors to women chambers. Some of the chambers were demolished to make way for Charles V's palace. There were also kitchen/ pantry area at the southern part of this court.
Had to use the photo we took during our first trip in Seville because as you can tell it was really sunny on that day, the exposure in the photo if I were to take it would've been crazy.. Anyways, this is the part of the court where some of its chambers were demolished to make way for Charles V's palace (as you can see in the background)
Here in the background is the Tower of Comares. Palace/ Hall of Comares were the official king residence back then. As such it has one of the palace's most majestic hall where the throne would sit.
Panoramic view of Hall of the Ambassadors - the most majestic hall in the palace.
The hall is completely covered by decorative inscriptions: niches, arches, walls and dressing rooms are all covered by poems. These are all praises to God or the emir, the Nasrid's motto or texts from the Koran.
It is also believed that this is where Christopher Columbus got the permission for his expeditions.
Next you make way to Palace of the Lions which housed the private chambers of the royal family.
That look when you finally get to view the Patio of Lions in real life cause the last time you came it was under restoration so this was your view..
Lame kan? -.-
There are 12 lions in the patio and at the strike of each hour different lion would have water shooting out of it while the rest wouldn't apparently #cooooooooool
Can you spot the "la illaha ilAllah"?
While I have water bottle on one side and M&Ms on the other side of the pocket (sometimes Zoe would just look for me cause she wants M&Ms *roll eyes*), Zoe has Doritos in her pockets.. LOL!
The dome detailing of the Hall of the Abencerrajes.
In this hall is where it is said that all of the Abencerrajes knights were killed/ beheaded, in fact, there is a rust stain covering part of the marble fountain in the middle of the hall, which is said to be a bloodstain from the Abencerrajes knights.
Coincidentally, this was where we chose to take our photos (we didn't realise the gory history this hall had - and clearly that's not something you'd wanna remember as a 16/17 year old going through life - even though I've read about it)
Anyways, see that lamp?
Back in 2009 it was there too! AHAHAHAHA
Before you think I was on the phone, I was actually listening to the audio guide we had. Also pay attention to the shoe because there's a story about it coming and the end of this post..
The dome of the Hall of Two Sisters - there's no tales/ legends about two sisters in this hall by the way. The two sisters are just the two large marble of the floor but who cares about the marble on the floor when the ceiling looks like that!!
With the green detailing, God, what a beauty it must've been back then! (2009 also was probably the year I considered becoming an architect lol)
Continuing on with the toor, this slightly modern part of the palace is towards the Emperor's Room - where Washington Irving (he who wrote "Tales of the Alhambra" - I still want this book! Couldn't find an English version at the gift store..) lived while he was here.
The view of the Generalife (the white building) from Emperor's Chamber/ Room-wtvyouwannacallit
We spent a good 10 minutes here just peeping into people's houses - thank God it was winter so no one was particularly sun bathing..
One of the hammam in the palace
Random and only peach tree I found ever
By the time we were done with the palaces it was 4.30PM-ish already (we entered at 2.30PM). So yeah, we spent two hours at the palaces going around making stops at almost every corner..
The next stop was the Alcazaba, which was a fort + watch tower of Alhambra.
The view from Alcazaba - unfinished and all, Charles V's palace do look more majestic from the outside compared to Nasrid's palace
In my head right now, this small little door is probably where most people entered/ exit if they're tryna escape the prison in the fort..
Panoramas from the top of Alcazaba. It was indeed beautiful and worth the anxiety I got walking there.. I swear I was texting my friends (who went to Skytrex with me): "This feels like skytrex all over again FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF" #drama
But the view of the Sierra Nevada was worth it.. Which is yes, that is a snow-capped mountain..
Zoe had the most :O when we saw the mountain from the station ("OMG so cool!") to the most
-________________________________- face the longer we spent looking at it
("WE COULD'VE GONE SKIING!!!!")
-________________________________- face the longer we spent looking at it
("WE COULD'VE GONE SKIING!!!!")
After Alcazaba we made way to the Generalife which basically was the grand garden and also the summer palace.
We aren't much of a garden people, so we basically spent not more than 30mins at Generalife before making our way back to town (though when I was here with my Mum that was a whole different story all together....)
Before going back we stopped by a few gift shops getting some memorabilia for ourselves and some as gifts for other people. Zoe & I both wanted this specs casing but unfortunately they only had one left (when we saw it that morning they had more), and I was contemplating on whether to get Mummy an iPad/ Kindle cover (cause she texted that she accidentally broke hers and I had to order two new ones for her as BCP) or some scarves with the tiles painting. In the end I decided not to get anything else and only went for the casing that Zoe kindly gave up for me.
We decided to walk back to town cause I remember it is actually doable since I've done it before (though when I did it we passed by the other side of town where the white houses were - so those had even more steps/ stairs case)
This gate is actually called Pomegranate Gate cause that's what "granada" meant - I can just imagine the horse carriages that went up this hill to go to the Alhambra whenever there are foreign visitors etc those days. How exciting!
So glad we took this route! Look at this little gem of a city
While we were walking up to the Alcazaba, Zoe realised that I was actually bleeding. So the first agenda in the city was to get me a plaster. When I showed my mum the picture of my leg,
Mummy: You & Granada memang la.. Last time also you destroyed your Ferragamo lepas tuh sakit kaki
Mother has some pretty good memory man.. And now I remember what happened to that particular shoe!!!! I always thought it looked so beaten down cause I wore it too much... But that shoe was probably the start of my love for Ferragamo shoes, hands down the most comfortable designer shoes go to them.
Luckily for me, the blood came off rather easily from my sneakers this time.. So no destroyed shoes this time, just my feet.
Next while we had about an hour+ before our bus back to Seville, we decided to grab dinner. Out of all things, Zoe had a craving for kebab.... So we ended up at Kebab King, in Spain... LOL
Post dinner we still had sometime left so we continued just exploring the city.
We also found an Alhambra official gift shop in the city which had the casing Zoe wanted so she got hers and after much deliberation, I decided to get Mummy the iPad cover cause something told meI'd have regretted it if I didn't and I was right!!
When I got back and gave Mummy her cover (and her two Kindles) she was telling my aunt (who coincidentally flew in from Miri the same night I landed in KL) how happy she was that she has something from Alhambra cause the last time we went she said she takde duit.. You know the joy you get when you hear you made your mother happy, kinda makes you feel like you've made it in life for awhile there :'')
We took a cab from the city to the station, caught our bus, got back to our hotel in Seville close to midnight and crashed while playing Down With Love #sempat #10stepsskincareroutinepunyapasal #nakkenaupdateinstagramstorypunyapasal
Anyways, I shall end this blog with some of the pictures of Granada city..
