SPAIN – GRANADA – An Old Lady with a Backpack

March 13 – 17, 2023

Years ago I met a young man on a tour and he told me that if I did not go to Granada he would hunt me down and slap me. I took his strongly worded advice and was not sorry. I like it so much, I decided to return. Every bit of this city is captivating, from its mosaic sidewalk designs to its grand churches to an Islamic fortress.

The area around Granada has been populated since 5500 BC. It has been settled by Iberians, Romans , Visigoths and Muslims. The Granada we know today was established after it was conquered by the Catholics Monarchs in 1492; a good year for Isabella & Ferdinand.

The Royal Chapel of Granada, constructed between 1505 and 1517,

is the burial place of Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand. It is integrated into the Granada Cathedral.

Like many of the churches in Andalusia, the Granada Cathedral was built on top of the city’s main mosque after the reconquest. The original construction lasted from 1518-1523. Subsequent additions and alterations stretched the construction to a total of 181 years.

The church has snow white columns that reach to the sky.

The altar is covered in gold.

The tabernacle looks crystalline.

The rich wood has intricate carvings of fruits.

There was not one inch of this space that did not dazzle and amaze.

The Church of the Tabernacle is attached to the Cathedral. It was built in 1704 over the prayer hall of the main mosque. I don’t know why this church was built next to the cathedral. Basically, I walked out one door and into another.

It was grand, as are all Spanish churches, with some fantastic statues.

I specifically returned here to see Alhambra again. The current castle fortress was built on the highest hill in Granada in 1238, screaming of power and status. It is one of the best preserved Islamic palaces in the world. After the conquest of 1492, it became the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabella. It was where Columbus received royal endorsement for his expedition.

As often happens, the place fell into disrepair to the point that squatters moved in. It was rediscovered following the defeat of Napoleon, whose troops partially destroys parts of the site. Romantic travellers and intellectuals from Britain, Northern Europe and America began to take notice of Alhambra and began the long and hard process of restoration.

The most influential person was Washington Irving, whose book Tales of the Alhambra (1832) brought international attention to the site. He was doing research on Columbus, which brought him to Granada. He fell in love with the place. He was allowed access to the palace only because of his celebrity status. He filled notebooks about his observations, never thinking his descriptions were doing it justice. He wrote, “How unworthy is my scribbling of the place.” I can understand his sentiments.

It covers 35 acres. It was declared a UNESCO World Heirgage Site in 1984.

There are numerous towers, gates, gardens

and buildings. Some buildings were administrative, some for storage, and some for personal palace use. The buildings all have the intricate decorations of Islam, calligraphy plaster and lace-like arabesque windows always strike me with their beauty.

The complex is huge. I spent the entire day there.

I had a timed ticket to enter the actual Palace. I had to show my ticket and my passport to the guard. I queued up with the rest of my time slot people outside the Palace. We had to show our tickets and passports again. Strange. We had only walked a short distance from the ticket booth and there was no other way in. But OK. We entered the building and had to show our passports again! This time we were merely 10 feet from the last guard. But that was not all. One more time we had to show our passports. It was so bizarre.