We pulled into Málaga this morning. This Spanish city is the southernmost part of the “Costa del Sol,” a section of the Mediterranean that has been for several decades the destination for bargain flights from Germany and the UK. John and I drove through it years ago, and he dubbed it the “Costa del Condo.” So when I was planning this trip I wanted to find a place with history and culture. So I booked us an “On Your Own” trip to Grenada, the capital of Moorish Spain, and the home to the fabled Alhambra.
I probably was unfair to Málaga as I learned more about it. This city was Picasso’s childhood home, and there are a couple museums here with some of the largest holdings of his works in the world. There’s also a branch of Centre Pompidou, quite close to the cruise port, and it is vastly more attractive than the main museum in Paris. There’s also a castle here from the Arab period and a knockout Baroque cathedral.
So, this morning, knowing John had some reservations about being in Grenada, over an hour from the ship, I offered him the choice of sticking with the original tour or staying here in Málaga. To my surprise, he said that he wanted to go to Grenada. And I am really happy he did.
This was the only excursion we booked from Norwegian. As usual for cruise ship tours, we had colored stickers with the number of our bus on it. We were on the usual newish, air-conditioned coach with a capable driver and a voluble guide. “Voluble” is really a little kind: she never stopped talking. Most of it was just babble, but there was a little helpful information. Naively, thinking that we were still quite early in the season, I had not even thought to buy tickets to the Alhambra. I discovered that you not only need to buy them in advance, but you need to buy them months in advance. Our guide did tell us that there were a few areas outside the walls that we could visit for free and that there was a nice walk from there down to the center of town. And that’s what we did.
The Alhambra was the great citadel of the ruling Moors and within its walls were several spectacular palaces, now regarded as the greatest achievement of Islamic architecture in Europe, and perhaps the greatest anywhere in the Arab world. It was not always so highly esteemed. After the defeat of the Moors by the forces of Ferdinand and Isabella, the Alhambra was largely left to decay. It suffered significant damage at the hands of Napoleon’s forces, as well as more damage in an 1821 earthquake. It was the American author Washington Irving, best known for Rip van Winkle, who is responsible for a new appreciation of this building. His collection of stories, Tales from the Alhambra, based partly on history and folktales, was an international sensation.
But, as I said, we did not have a chance to see the interior of this fabled complex. But following our guide’s advice, we followed the path along its walls. We entered through a series of arches.
There were wild-looking but actually well-tended gardens along the way.
The acanthus plentiful, but not variegated like mine.
From the path, we could see the many towers
and get an occasional glimpse of the wonders inside.
I decided that the great landscape architects like Capability Brown were right to see the importance of ruins in a garden.
Perhaps I should build some in my backyard!
It was far too bumpy to use the wheelchair, so John had to walk. And he did extremely well.
As we reach the end of the path, the gardens gave way to the whitewashed walls of the old city.
Once we reached the end, we were on a narrow city street. We had to contend with the occasional taxi as we walked along. There was a parklike area with outdoor tables and stalls selling handicrafts. John suggested we stop and have lunch. It was a great idea, maybe the most magical meal of the trip. As we sat there, we looked up at the Alhambra towering above us.
We had a tapas plate for two, an ample meal for only 28 euro.
After lunch, we continued on to the town center. Along the way we stopped at a church.
Looking up at the intricate wood carving on the ceiling, I figured out that at one time this had probably been a mosque.
We also spotted a hotel that looked like it would be a great place to stay in Grenada.
By the time we reached the cathedral, another converted mosque, we had run out of time and could only look at it from the outside.
We rushed around trying to find a cab, and in doing so lost one of John’s trekking poles. Fortunately, Amazon delivers worldwide, though the shipping was extra and the VAT was painful. The new ones will be waiting for us at our hotel in Rome.
I would definitely like to come back to Grenada. This time I will plan in advance and make sure we have plenty of really see the Alhambra.
Traveling Johns 