I got up early this morning to return the rental car to Avis at the train station. If you want to get around in Granada, do not take out the car. It took over an hour to get to the reasonably nearby train station as roads were blocked by parents dropping off their kids at school; road construction; one ways the way you want to go; no left turns for 10 blocks to go the right way; streets that end in a dead end....Walking is the easiest mode of travel. You also get to see things at a slower pace.
We visited the old section of Granada this morning, taking a walking tour from Corral del Carbon, where merchants used to bring their camels to rest, get water and spend the night. The paving is from the 14th century as is the Moorish filigree around doorways. Weaving through plazas and narrow streets we stopped at the Cathedral. By the way, the paving everywhere is intricate stonework. They must have had a lot of laborers! This huge and beautiful church was built on top of a former mosque. When Christians overtook Granada after 700 years of Moorish rule, they purposely obliterated many of the former religious sites. Interestingly, this church emphasizes Mary over Christ in statuary and words. As a small gesture, Mary was more palatable to the Muslim converts as she is revered in the Quran.
We climbed out of the lower part of the city and had lunch under a wisteria strewn pergola, with views of the Alhambra. Cercis canadensis (Redbud) seems to the prominent urban tree in both Barcelona and Granada with its brilliant pink bloom. We passed the Moorish baths from the 11th century and ventured into Sacromante, the area of town where the gypsies live. Some even live in caves with a lovely door on the front... Their neighborhood is all white (must be in the CC & Rs) and is reminiscent of Greece. This people group prefers to call themselves 'Roma' as gypsy has a bad connotation. (Two students did have their fortunes told on the way to the Cathedral just as the tourist book said would happen.)
The top of San Nicolas Viewpoint (Mirador de San Nicolas) provided the panoramic views (and the best in the city) of the Alhambra. You can see snow on the Sierra Nevada mountains in the background.
We visited the old section of Granada this morning, taking a walking tour from Corral del Carbon, where merchants used to bring their camels to rest, get water and spend the night. The paving is from the 14th century as is the Moorish filigree around doorways. Weaving through plazas and narrow streets we stopped at the Cathedral. By the way, the paving everywhere is intricate stonework. They must have had a lot of laborers! This huge and beautiful church was built on top of a former mosque. When Christians overtook Granada after 700 years of Moorish rule, they purposely obliterated many of the former religious sites. Interestingly, this church emphasizes Mary over Christ in statuary and words. As a small gesture, Mary was more palatable to the Muslim converts as she is revered in the Quran.
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