Granada

Wow, what a difference a short flight makes. Granada is nothing like Madrid or Barcelona. Obviously it's much smaller, but it's also much more "Spanish." Guitarists and small bands hang out in every plaza, making every walk an enjoyable one. Many streets are too narrow for cars (and — somehow — the streets that are wide enough for a car manage to be two way streets. I have no idea what would happen if two cars met on most of these roads... they're way too skinny to try driving backwards in). And flamenco is a nightlife staple, often spontaneously erupting in the evening (just follow your ears).

If Barcelona is the city of concrete (which isn't hard argument to make) then Ronda would be the city of stones. Everything is built from stones: buildings, bridges, walls, roads, and sidewalks. And all the stones, especially in the sidewalks, are ornately arranged, creating a beautiful collage. I spent nearly as much time staring at the ground as I did staring at the sites. Well not quite, but it definitely held my attention.

As for the sites, Granada has a ton of history. 1492 was a big year for the city. First, it was the last Moorish town to fall to the Spanish Reconquista, creating a united Spanish state under King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel. And, just a few short months later, Granada is where Christopher Columbus asked the king and queen to fund his trip to west, beginning Spain's dominance of the New World. The king and queen are entombed here, in the Royal Chapel. The chapel and adjacent cathedral are the two main attractions on saw on my first evening in Granada. Unlike most churches I've seen, they're buried among many other buildings, making it hard to get an appreciation for the size of everything (not until I explored the city and looked back down was I able to see how big the church actually is).

But the illusion is dropped once I stepped inside: everything is massive. Not just massive as in extraordinarily large, but more like overwhelmingly imposing. The pillars must be 20 feet around. The organs (there are two of them) are two stories high. Giant paintings fill the archways. Giant books with verses from the bible are abound (the books were easily 4 feet high). Even the writing in the books was huge: there couldn't have been more than ten words on each page. It's an extremely impressive place to be. The chapel, on the other hand, is much more under control (size wise). But what it lacks in overwhelming size it makes up for in overwhelming detail. The high alter and the metal grill work were the best that money could buy.

In the evening I went out for my daily paseo and, once again, Granada did not disappoint. The best place for me was in the old town, where the streets are too narrow for cars (and occasionally too narrow for people). There are a million little roads to explore, each with reason to turn down. I spent about two hours in the dark, getting lost and unlost several times before calling it an evening. I don't know if "urban explorer" is a term yet, but that's what I was. However this paseo was a little off because, in perhaps the biggest difference in Granada, the streets were absolutely empty at night. Sure there were some boisterous bars along the main plazas, but just a few blocks away was complete emptyness. I would go minutes at a time without seeing anyone. It probably didn't help that a storm passed through earlier in the evening, but by the time I was out I had a full moon shining down on me.

But, the obvious highlight of my time in Granada was a trip to the Alhambra. I'm not even sure how to go about describing it. As I kid I used to dream up an imaginary castle that I wanted to live in some day, completely with towers, walls, and fountains. After a visit to the Alhambra, I've realized I'll need to revise those plans, should I ever get the chance to build my dream home. Incredibly detailed walls fill room after room. Beautifully maintained gardens hid around every corner creating a calming blend between human construction and nature's construction. And (of course), water flows everywhere and fountains spring up all over the place. I took way too many pictures and couldn't bring myself to delete most of them, it was just too much fun to walk through (the rest of my pictures are up here).