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Thursday, June 04, 2009 - 08:57 SGT
Posted By: Gilbert

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Pearl Among Emeralds

"Now you weep like a woman
over what you could not defend as a man."
- Mother of Nasrid ruler Muhammad XII to her son, as he sighed after being forced to surrender Granada in 1492


2 June



Bid farewell to the people we got to know in Sevilla (where NO8DO was seriously prominent [1]) after a breakfast of yet more sliced bread (and a final cup of free hot chocolate). We then boarded the next train to Granada.

Adios Sevilla

No televisions on this slightly more dated carriage, but it was of little importance as I had my netbook out to prepare blog entries. Lunch, taken during the five-hour journey, was four slices of ham on a third of a baguette [2]. Took pictures of the environment at random intervals [3], since I had a window seat for the first time. Lots of farmland along the route, dotted with little houses and shacks - it really boggles the mind to imagine the history of each and every one of them.

Granada wasn't a very big station compared to others we had seen, but our view of the Sierra Nevada mountains once we disembarked was breathtaking. Wondered if the streaks of white on the tops were snow, in the scorching heat. Thankfully, due to the lower humidity, the discomfort from sweating wasn't as bad as it would have been back in Singapore, and there's the added bonus of getting a tan.

Arrived at the Hostal AB and was delighted to find that it was thoroughly modern and spotlessly clean. Frankly, for all the character of hostels in older buildings, I still prefer new furniture all the way. Our room 113 was just that, with three beds [4] on metal frames, and a fresh smell, and toilets were abundant and yes, clean. The management even felt they had to age the room a bit, with wooden bed headboards and a decorative strip of wallpaper. There was even a small TV, and the only gripes I had were the lack of a fan, and the lack of a Wifi signal (but nothing that can't be compensated for). In all, it's truly a steal at 12 Euros a night.

Handwashed my laundry and hung it out, before we took a walk of the Albacin (i.e. Arab) Quarter of the town. Granada somehow felt newer, or at least cleaner, than Barcelona and Seville - not sure if the hostel contributed to that. Picked up two litre bottles of mineral water at the supermarket at 26 cents each, surprising considering Granada is supposedly suffering a drought, and picked up more bread and some orange jam [6] for tomorrow (breakfast not included). Sated our hunger with shawarma for dinner at a tiny shop that only had seating for half a dozen customers. Pollo al pincho [5] for me.


3 June



Another day, another cathedral [1, entrance shown], and Granada's quite similar to Sevilla's with the same Moorish influences, thus I'm skipping the details (and photos). That took most of the morning, and we lunched at Kabab King, where two Chich kebabs [2] and a Döner were ordered. We then continued trekking up and down the Albacin [3] to while time away before hitting the Alhambra, that "pearl set in emeralds". Gave in to temptation and bought a Magnum White ice-cream to help alleviate the heat.

The walk up [4] to the entrance was rather long and steep, but eventually we made it. Bearing in mind that our scheduled timeslot for the Nasrid Palace was at 5 pm, and that several of the areas within the Alhambra are strangely single-visit only, we wandered about the grounds. We chanced upon a photography exhibition in the Palacio de Carlos V on the Brown Sisters [5], where Nicholas Nixon snapped his wife and her three sisters annually for the past three decades. Probably worth a peek online at least.

The palaces themselves were reminiscent of the Alcázar, as they should well be, with the view (and winds) from the top of the watchtower [6] more stimulating for me. The summer place of Generalife [7] (i.e. Architect's Garden, though insurance companies should really consider sponsorship) was the most beautiful for me, with lots of flowing water [8] (though fountains must be a pain to upkeep, and look bad when stagnant - as my town council back in Jurong probably realised). The flora [9] was pretty too.

Granada's fast food
(sel's camera again after mine ran out of memory)

Hungry with all that walking, I opted for the "Döner Kebap Doble" (foreground, above photo) at the Nemrut outlet, which comes with more meat than you can shake a chicken at in a hamburger bun for 4.50 Euros, and it was absolutely delicious. I'll be a willing customer the next time kebabs are on sale at NUS.

Finally headed up to the Mirador de San Nicolas for the famed sunset view of the Alhambra framed against the mountains, but we arrived far too early (before eight pm), and spent a couple of hours listening to buskers crooning (they were good, I'll give them that, and did indeed give an Euro) and watching dogs chase each other (the place is some sort of canine social ground). The sky finally agreed to dim at ten, but the view was a tad disappointing. Nothing PhotoshopTM can't fix, of course.

No golden sunset (photo credit: alvin)




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