Today's main focus was the famous (and, it turns out, fabulous) Alhambra - the mighty palace and fortress complex that sits on a hill overlooking all of Granada, framed by the picturesque Sierra Nevada mountains, with their peaks shining brightly in snow-capped winter brilliance.
Unlike the whole rest of Spain (based on an exhaustive 6 days of clearly in-depth study), the Alhambra opens before 10am! In fact, tickets are available from 8am, with the gates to the complex opening at 8:30am. But, if you turn up on the day, there is a chance that you won't get in, as they strictly limit the number of visitors allowed; and the ticketing system is also two-fold: firstly, you have to select to visit either in the morning (from 8:30am until 2:00pm), or the afternoon (2:00pm until 6:00pm); and secondly, you have to accept a time-slot within that given period when you can enter and visit the Nasrid Palaces (the one-time Islamic rulers who originally built the complex) - and all times are monitored, with entry strictly controlled. It is also noted that there are always a lot of tourists year-round; again, I'm sure that there are more in peak season, and to be honest, it was bad enough today, so I'm once again glad to be travelling in the off season.
So, armed with that knowledge, and very aware of the Spanish demand for punctuality (in others, at least - see any and all notes on train scheduling), I decided (wisely I believe) to pre-purchase the ticket yesterday in town; so I opted for the morning session, and the lady in the shop helped me get a time for the Nasrid Palaces at a very reasonable 11:00am. This meant no early rush, but still with the knowledge of what time to get going in the morning. So, a reasonable start, a walk down the hill, an easy ride on the micro-bus (now that I know the system - and there happened to be one at the stop when I got there [but I was prepared to walk if there wasn't], and all for the princely sum of 1.20 euros), and I was at the gate and inside before 9:00am.
So, checking out the map below - I am staying in the area of "Albayzin" (as it is on this map) to the upper left of centre; I walked down to the Granada Cathedral left of centre, and from there caught the bus up to the Alhambra, right in the centre with the red marker - you really can't miss it, just like in real life (only without the big red marker).
The Alhambra traces its history back to the late ninth century, but in its current form to the early 13th century, with Muhammad I al-Ahmar (founder of the Nasrid dynasty) installing his Court on the hill of Sabika in 1238 and beginning construction on one of the oldest parts of the Alhambra complex: the military area of Alcazaba.
The Palace of the Lions in the Nasrid Palace area was completed by Muhammad V in the mid to late 14th Century; this palace complements the two other earlier palaces: the Mexaur Palace and the Comares Palace.
However, in 1492 the last Nasrid Sultan, Muhammad XII, surrendered the Alhambra to the Catholic Monarchs: Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon (think brother of Catherine of Aragon, one-time wife of England's King Henry VIII), who conducted extensive repairs and alterations, like all good new home-owners do. Unlike most new home-owners Ferdinand and Isabella also installed the Royal House and the headquarters of the Captaincy General of the Kingdom of Granada in the Alhambra.
Charles V (Holy Roman Emperor) visited in 1526 after his wedding to Isabella of Portugal and liked it so much, he built a new place inside the complex: the Charles V Palace (a bit egotistical really, particularly if he called it that, which I'm not sure about, but he may well have done), which is a prime example of Spanish Renaissance architecture; a fine building, it has a circular central open area, surrounded by colonnaded cloisters on two levels.
After a period of diminished use, scientific studies of the site were carried out in the 1800's, and the Alhambra declared a National Monument in 1870. The Alhambra and associated Generalife (like a next-door quiet get-away, with lovely gardens and less court intrigue) were extensively restored from 1923 to 1936 (restoration works continue) and in 1984 the UNESCO World Heritage Committee designated the Alhambra and the Generalife a World Heritage Site.
So, as you can probably tell, it takes quite a bit to get around, and you need to plan your visit, particularly to ensure that you are at the entrance to the Nasrid Palaces at your allotted time.
First-up, photos around the complex and in particular the Alcazaba military area, which sits at the northern end of the 740 metres (2,430 ft) long by 205 metres (670 ft) wide (at the widest point) site. As you can probably imagine, this area is almost quite plain and practical, as it needed to be; however, it also has wonderful views over Granada.
Believe it or not, good paella is actually quite hard to find in Spain - crazy, I know, but there you go. Most of what you can buy in restaurants is manufactured in bulk in factories, frozen and distributed, with the restaurants and the like simply reheating it; and I'm reliably informed that it isn't very good, or nice.
With that in mind, I asked my host (Remedios) if she could recommend somewhere I might be able to try some good, honest paella. Well, Remedios is a star, and came through for me. She found a restaurant that not only make their own, but during the day will serve it essentially as tapas, by asking for "Platta de Paella" (basically a plate of paella); otherwise, you have to wait over 30 minutes and buy a serving big enough for 2. Armed with this vital information, the name of the restaurant (Restaurant Leon, founded in 1959) and a rough idea of where they are located (in a side street off a street leading from Plaza Nueva (New Square - and at least I knew how to get to the square) I headed off in search of this elusive Spanish cuisine; and in no time at all, I found myself in their door, seated at a table in the restaurant area and asking in very poor Spanish for Platta de Paella. Clearly I had made myself understood, as a reasonably-large plate of steaming hot and clearly-made-that-day in the restaurant kitchen paella arrived on the table in good time (but not so good that it might have come from a dinging machine, otherwise known as a microwave).
And the verdict - it was worth the walk and the 4.50 euros (just over Aus$7): fresh, tasty, and satisfying; clearly dinner tonight will be a small meal. I highly recommend you find this place at lunchtime on a weekday (that's when you can get Platta de Paella) if you ever find yourself in Granada, which of course I also recommend you do if you can.
That left enough time to head back to the apartment for a bit of rest, retrieving the washing from the rooftop terrace where it has been drying all day, hanging it in front of the heater on the rack that Remedios thoughtfully provided (as it rained last night, so the clothes weren't fully dry even by the afternoon, for while it was a sunny day, it still only reached a top of about 10 degrees C), having some dinner and off to bed, in preparation for my second and last full day in Granada tomorrow.