Granada is world famous for the amazing and spectacular Alhambra Palace, but few people know the meaning of the city. Granada is the Spanish word for “pomegranate”. According to legend, the pomegranate is a sacred fruit for the Jewish people because it has (allegedly) 613 inside each pomegranate and there are 613 commandments in the Torah. A quick Google search will tell you that that isn’t exactly true. Still, you can see pomegranates everywhere, from the street signs to the pebble-work on the ground.

Like many places I’ve visited and will visit in Spain this year, I always think, “How have I been in Spain for three years and not been here?” Not going to Granada isn’t exactly my fault — their train station hasn’t been linked to major cities in three years while they try to ready the station for the AVE. So to get there, I took the high speed train from Madrid to a small town in the Málaga region, then boarded a bus to take me to Granada. Of course, you can get to Granada by bus, but I hate buses. (I get carsick.) Pero por fin, I had arrived in Granada.

Like Rome, Granada is said to be built on seven hills. I believe it. Be sure to pack comfy shoes and clothes you can move in because Granada is a very walking-friendly city. It’s not very convenient to take the bus or metro. People walk in the streets are cars and buses try to slowly move past the pedestrians. My feet were definitely very sore after two days of walking around in Vans. I wish I had packed better shoes.

The Alhambra

Of course, the main reason people go to Granada is to see the Alhambra. It was built over several eras of Moorish rule, but construction began in the ninth century. The palace was home to the Moors until 1492 when they were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula by Ferdinand and Isabel.

Carlos V (Holy Roman Emperor and son of Ferdinand and Isabel) also resided in the castle and made a few changes architecturally. He took out the colored glass ceilings and replaced them with wooden ceilings. He also added windows. (The Moors didn’t have windows so people couldn’t see the Sultan, but they did have cool lattice work so the people inside could see outside.) For 200 years, though, the palace was abandoned and the gypsies resided inside. Even famed American author resided in the Alhambra while ambassador to Spain in the 19th century, which inspired his book, “Tales from the Alhambra”.

There are three main parts to the Alhambra: The Nasarid Palaces, the Alcazaba, and the Generalife. Since it became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984, the Alhambra is restricted to 3 million visitors a year. That means 8,000 people can enter the Alcazaba and Generalife each day, while only 3,500 tickets are available to the palaces. Tickets are extremely hard to get, so it’s best to reserve tickets months in advance. By the time I decided to go at the end of August, all the general admission tickets (€14) were gone, so I had to splurge to go on a guided tour.

The Nasarid Palaces

The palaces date to the 13th century, when the Alhambra became the royal residence for the sultans on the Iberian Peninsula. The kingdom was known as Al-Andalus, which gives the region its name today (Andalucía). Inside the palaces, you can see the intricate art work along all the walls. Since pictures of people and of God are forbidden in Islam, the walls are decorated in geometric patterns, poems, and text from the Quran. There are different types of font, with the most ancient and scholarly text used to display quotes from the Quran, and normal cursive Arabic used to display text from poems or sayings.

Much of the plaster artwork is original. You can identify the originals because there is a trace of color. Once, the plaster was vibrantly colored. All of the ceramic tiles are copies. While abandoned, the original tiles were stolen. Like I said earlier, Carlos V added wooden ceilings, but before there were brightly colored glass ceilings that displayed a rainbow of colors on a sunny day. There are a few places where you can see the original glass (although restored) to get an idea of what it looked like.

As I walked through the palaces (there are three), I got an idea of what it once looked like. I imagined the warm summers with a cool breeze of wind gusting through, carpets on the floors, and people lounging around and enjoying the time. The intricacies of the ceilings and the artwork on the walls is astounding. It’s really unbelievable that it has been able to be preserved in such a fantastic way.

The Alcazaba and Generalife

The Alcazaba is the fortress. You can see the place where there once were Arab baths, and you can also climb to the top of a tower and get a great look out over the city of Granada. White houses and buildings are scattered over the terrain. In the distance, you can see the Sierra Nevada mountains, and you may even see some snow.

The Generalife is a little bit farther away from the other two attractions. Generalife derives from the Arabic for “Garden of the Architect”. To the Muslims, Allah is the greatest architect, so in reality it is the “Garden of Allah”. This is where you will see the famous picture with the fountains and a house in the background. We only got to go in and peek real quick, but if you have a general admission ticket, you can go check out the house. I believe it was used as a sort of summer house for the sultans.

Medieval Granada

After the conquest of the Moors, Granada was returned to a Catholic state. If you know anything about Isabel, she was devoutly Catholic. If she hadn’t been a queen, I think she would have liked to be a nun. The Alhambra is fascinating, but it is packed with people. Seeing a piece of medieval Granada was a welcome respite from the crowds.

La Capilla Real

The first thing I checked out was the Capilla Real, or the Royal Chapel. This is the final resting place for Ferdinand and Isabel, as well as their daughter Juana (often referred to as la Loca … debatable) and her husband Phillip (the Handsome). No pictures were allowed in here, which is a shame because it was truly amazing. It is a sign of the power and might of the Spanish empire of that time.

Ferdinand and Isabel decided that their final resting spot would be in Granada. Isabel actually died before construction and not in Granada, so she had to be transported back. Ferdinand died a year before the chapel was finished. When you enter the chapel, it really is a grand and open space. It’s amazing to look around and see all the gold and artistic elements. Then, when you get the chance to go down to the crypt and see the tombs of the former kings and queens, it nearly takes your breath away.

In the final part, you can see some trinkets from the reign of the Catholic Monarchs. There are crowns, scepters, and robes worn during the era. You can also see some artwork, very religious in nature, collected at the time. There is even a piece from Botticelli!

Entrance to the Capilla Real is €5, with reduced rates for students under 25.

The Cathedral

Another important building in Granada is the cathedral. It’s a very grand cathedral (just as the Spanish like) which is mainly devoted the different names of Mary. The Spanish artist Alonso Canó helped build statues and paint artwork in the cathedral. (In Madrid, I live very close to a metro stop named for him, so it was great to finally put a name with a history.)

The artistry inside is fantastic. The organ in the cathedral was impeccable … well there were four organs! Then, as you walk up to the alter, you can see all the amazing design that went into creating this cathedral. As you walk around the chapels, you can see the chapels dedicated the Mary, as well as a few other saints. One of the most important is Saint Cecil, who is the patron saint of the city.

Entrance to the cathedral is €5, with reduced rates for students under 25.

Arab Baths

If you want to feel as if you have been transported back in time, then after a long day of walking and touring, take a trip to the Arab baths. The most famous is the Hammam Al-Andalus baths. They aren’t original, but they were opened in 1999 on what is believed to be the original sight for Arab baths (after some excavation found pools of water there). Upon entering, you feel as if you have been transported back into Moorish Spain. The workers wear haram pants and really put in the idea of you being in a different time period.

After changing into a swimsuit (they are mandatory!) and putting your things into a passcode protected locker, you enter the darkened baths. There are three different temperatures of pools: a cold pool, a warm pool, and a hot pool. The warm pool is where they recommend you to start. It’s a comfortable temperature and it’s the biggest one. The hot pool feels like a jacuzzi, but without the jets. There are two hot pools to choose from. Then, there’s the cold pool. Not many people were brave enough to try this one out. I only put my feet in and went up to my knees, but one girl was completely submerged to her shoulders.

While you are in the baths, or pools, you can drink some hot tea or drink water from the fountains. I also spent a little extra money for a massage. You can get short massages during your time that help you to relax even more. When you finish, there are showers and other amenities to help you get ready for the rest of your day. I was lazy and just got redressed, but the other people blow dried their hair and reapplied make-up.

You can get entry for €35, with options for massages for an extra fee.

Tapa, Tapeo

Few things are more Spanish than a tapeo. A tapeo is the act of going from bar to bar to restaurant to restaurant eating tapas. You can easily eat a meal that way. It’s easy to tapear. All you have to do is go to a restaurant or bar, order a drink, and they give you a little bit of food to go along with your drink. Ta-Da!

Granada is famous for their tapas. Tapas aren’t one thing, but rather just small plates of food. It could be rice, bread, a sandwich, meat, anything! It’s a great way to eat a variety of Spanish foods for a cheap price. I’ve heard a great place to go for tapas is on Calle Elvira. After you’ve finished at one place, ask for the cuenta, and pop off to the next place. For an American or Brit, that’s the perfect amount of food for a dinner.

Albaicín

Two neighborhood are popular in Granada: Sacromonte (or the gypsy caves) and Albaicín (the Muslim quarter). I didn’t get a chance to go to Sacromonte, but I did take a tour of Albaicín. I wasn’t sure what to expect, exactly, but I wanted to take a (free) tour of Granada. Albaicín is one big hill. We walked and walked and walked; it felt like the entire tour was uphill.

The Iglesia de San Gregorio Bético is a special site. Nuns dressed in white take one hour shifts throughout the day, praying in front of the altar. They are kind of like the guards at Buckingham Palace: you can try to make the nun move, but she probably won’t. The nuns are praying for the sins of the city and there is never a moment when someone isn’t there praying.

Another interesting feature of the Albaicín neighborhood is the presence of the carmen. A carmen is a special type of house in the Muslim area. Each house has certain features, such as a fountain on the ground and, of course, a view of the Alhambra. Not many are up for sale, but if they were, the lowest asking price would be at about half a million euros. We were able to tour the former carmen of the Belgian artist Max Moreau. When he died, he asked for the carmen to be free for the public, and so it still is today.

The things that everyone goes to see is the Mirador San Nicolás. This is one of the most famous sites in Granada, with an excellent view of the Alhambra. Many people go to the plaza at sunset. Apparently Bill Clinton came to the spot and said he saw the most beautiful sunset. Only one problem: you can see the sun set from there! I guess that’s not the first time he lied. If you want just as good of a view, but a ton of less people, walk a little further on until you reach a (modern day) mosque. The mosque was once a carmen. It’s free to enter to zone around the mosque, and you can get an excellent picture.

The Big Pomegranate

Granada is a fantastic city with tons of history, dating back more than 1300 years. If you have more time, you can also take day trips outside of the city to the Sierra Nevada mountains or even the beach. You can go hiking, skiing, or swimming. Granada has a lot to offer, and is unique. That’s one of the things I love about Spain. It’s much smaller than the US, but each city gives you such a unique and different feel. Granada should definitely be a top city on your Spain list. Now go get some tapas!