Granada

We took a bus in the late morning from Cordoba to Granada and arrived in the early afternoon. There was rain along the route and we weren't surprised to arrive to rain in Granada. After finding our hotel, we headed out for some sheltered fun at the nearby museums / cathedrals. The rain was relentless and in a moment of desperation I bought a 40 Euro umbrella, covered in cherubs(!) from one of the museums. Following this we went to a recommended tapas bar / restaurant. 

The restaurant was basically like a garage, with a bar along the back wall, lined with stacked barrels with taps. The front of the restaurant was completely open so people could spill out the side onto the cobbled streets. We were lucky enough to find an empty barrel-table, and starting selecting wine and tapas to try.

After that we wandered toward the Albayzin, which is a historic, hilltop neighbourhood which is Granda's old Muslim quarter. We headed to the top of the hill which was lively and covered with restaurants, street vendors and shops. 

 We found a quaint teahouse, Teteria Nazari, which was recommended in our guidebook and stopped by for some tea and shisha (aka Narguile in Spainish). 

We lucked out and got a spot near the door so we could still see the markets and street outside.

We spent a lot of time here because it was raining and also because the Narguile takes a LONG time to finish! The people watching, both inside and outside of the teahouse, was entertaining as well. We spent some time reading the guidebook and discovered another restaurant in the area was highly recommended. We were hesitant about having Moroccan food, since we were in Spain after all, but given the heavy Moorish influence in Granada, I managed to convince Fahad to skip the tapas for one night... The dinner was great, and the host/owner was very friendly to us when we arrived.

The next day was the big day, seeing the top attraction (according to Lonely Planet) in all of Spain, the Alhambra. We were warned by our guidebook to book tickets in advance, and even when we went to look 1 month in advance, all of the tickets had been sold out.

The only way we managed to gain entry was through a guided tour group. In the end, it worked out really well as our group only had 8 people and we got to run straight in. We had handy headphone systems, which meant we could wander away and view things at our own pace, not distracted by the noise and crowds around us.

The Alhambra is World Heritage Site and a complex palace, which was built over time by different rulers, the first one being in the 11th century, then the 13th and 14th century.

 

Most of the palace is covered, but there are numerous courtyards with ponds and gardens. We learned the doors were positioned in certain places so that the sultan could watch his back with only one eye, and that enemies entering the rooms would be blinded by sunlight.

After finishing with the Alhambra we took a bus to Malaga where we had an evening flight. Malaga is on the coast and trying to push itself as a Europe's Culture Capital 2016, and has a number of museums, including a Picasso Museum (Picasso was born in Malaga). The museum was closed when we were there, so we wandered through the small streets, finding a quaint wine bar where would could enjoy our last moments in Spain. 

Tip Tips:

1. Book tickets to the Alhambra in advance. Everyone says this, and it's true. If you are not so lucky to get tickets in advance and can't risk waiting in line, book a guided tour. I used Granada a Pie (Granada by Foot) and they had tours in English and Spanish.
2. Yes, you're in Spain, but don't write-off the Moroccan and Muslim influence in Southern Spanish cities like Granada. Go enjoy some Narguile in a cozy teahouse, stroll through the street markets, haggling for goods and enjoy delicious Moroccan food.