Elegant Granada and a Day in Madrid

After a beautiful day in Essaouira, Scotty and I had a long haul back to Spain. From Essaouira, we took a bus to Marrakesh and then hopped on an overnight train to Tanger. From Tanger, we had the most terrifying taxi ride of my life to the port, where we caught a ferry to Algeciras. Once in Algeciras, we caught a train to Granada, and rounded out this two-day sprint with a taxi ride to the hostel.

The next day, we went to see the Alhambra, an UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the main attractions in Granada. The Alhambra is a sprawling complex which was built in the 1300s by the Moorish rulers of Spain and has a fortress and palace in addition to many other buildings. I had heard that the complex was very beautiful but was not prepared for the sprawl of gracious gardens, peaceful courtyards, and elegant buildings. Also, I really liked the floor tiles:

The site shows an interesting combination of the tastes of both the Muslim rulers who originally built the place, and the Catholic rulers who later occupied the grounds during their reign. A lot of the walls and ceilings are covered in incredibly intricate carving and plasterwork:

Many of the buildings had beautiful courtyards, and the entire complex had a system of channels and pipes which provided running water throughout many of the buildings and provided a water source for the fountains and pools which were everywhere:

I wasn't kidding about the intricate carving:

One of the aspects of the Alhambra that I really like is that there was no master plan for the entire complex. Although each building was precisely planned, the space between buildings was filled with curving walkways, lots of stairs, and a variety of gardens. The whole place might have felt too structured if there had been a design to the overall layout, but instead it had a rambling charm.

This cat does not seem appreciative of the view:

My favorite part of the complex was the Generalife Palace and Gardens. There was an extensive amount of hedges and I tried to pretend it was a hedge maze but it would have been the easiest hedge maze ever:

The Generalife area captured several elements that, to me, defined the Alhambra: large courtyards, an abundance of green plants, a central fountain, all surrounded by a gracious peristyle.

I really enjoyed our time at the Alhambra. We left at just the right time - we hurried through a rain shower to go find a place for a late lunch.

OMG, cultural difference! They spell "nom" differently here!!

In the evening, we went out and enjoyed the Spanish tradition of tapas - when you get a round of drinks, they bring you a small plate of food, as well. The glasses of beer that they serve are quite a bit smaller than in the States, so it's possible to get a good meal without having way too much to drink. Some of the tapas we enjoyed were a small plate of paella, a spanish omelette, some sheep milk cheese, and potato croquettes. We upheld the Spanish tradition of eating late, and may or may not have wound up wandering from tapas place to tapas place until the small hours of the morning.

Outside of the Alhambra, Granada is a beautiful city on its own charms. It has a lot of narrow streets punctuated by open squares. This church was near our hostel:

A really fun town to explore, and very walkable:

Some ruins quite near our hostel:

Leaving Granda, it was sadly time for Scotty to return to the States. :( We journeyed back to Madrid, and Scotty left early Sunday morning to catch his flight.

Finding myself with a free day in Madrid, I decided that I should look and see if it would be possible for me to go to the Prado. Of course it would be possible! Also, there was a Renoir exhibition!! I made my way down to the Prado and spent a good portion of the day touring the museum.

Some of the most fascinating works of art in the museum are the gallery guides, created by the Friends of the Museum ("Amigos del Museo"), and available for 1 Euro. I purchased a "Masterpieces" guide to help me through the museum. This guide showed an unbridled enthusiasm for the art of the Prado, and typically described the pieces with breathless, verbose descriptions - a far cry from the dry, objective commentary which most art museums seem to tend to favor. Some excerpts:

On Rembrandt's "Artemisia": Here we find Rembrandt with all his exceptional talents in their fullness: naturalism, psychological insight, perfect dramatic atmosphere, and dazzling virtuosity in the treatment of details.

Making it clear whose side of the Paolo Veronese/Tintoretto rivalry they are on: Unlike Tintoretto, Veronese transmits these emotions in a subtle and serene manner, without spasmodic agitation or atmospheric turbulence.

Rhapsodizing about Jose de Ribera's "Jacob's Dream": ...Jacob is presented in a marvelous landscape which has a delicately luminous atmosphere and a subtle sobriety which demonstrates that the nineteenth century was in error in considering Ribera only from the perspective of an impassioned and blood-filled naturalism, because this work is proof of his superb and refined work as a colourist... it is a scene that radiates serenity and lyrical peace... the composition exudes equilibrium in every sense. Neither the intensity and concentration of this painting nor its sober realism manages to destroy its lyricism, emotion, refinement or even a certain serene idealization.


The enthusiastic guidebook made my visit fun - it was quite easy for me to personify the book into a guide: a short, round, bespectacled man in a tweed jacket who would often lean forward and bounce on the balls of his feet while holding forth about a painting, and then pause to wipe lenses of his fogged glasses or mop his brow with his handkerchief.

My trip to the Prado was quite enjoyable, and in the early evening, I went out to the airport to catch my flight. My original plan, upon leaving Madrid, was to be a series of trains which took me East so that I could go to Turkey. However, I discovered that even WITH my Eurail pass, an overnight train from Madrid to Paris would cost well over $100. (Without the Eurail pass, it would cost at least $300.) Further searching revealed that I could get a flight all the way to Budapest for $67. So, surprise! I am back in Budapest for just a couple days - I will soon resume my journey eastward, stopping at a few cities (Bucharest and Sofia) that I have already been to, on my way to Istanbul.