The Alhambra in Granada, Spain
The Charles V's palace.
Alhambra Entrance: Signage on the bottom left
Castro del RioMadly Moorish Albaicin
Favourite thing about Granada ( apart from the Alhambra) ? Definitely the Albaicin which I set off in search of the minute I arrived in Granada. In search of mystery and history I shot up Reyes Catolicos, ignoring the cathedral and the market place, hell bent on losing myself in the maze of steep winding streets, squares and alleyways that make up the World Heritage Site of the Albaicin. Starting from Plaza Nueva I climbed up a short hill with stars patterned on the cobbles and turned left. Here, just a short way beyond the Santa Ana Church are the Banos Arabes Al Andalus and a definite indication that you are entering the Moorish quarter. This little street of Santa Ana is really picturesque and you can carry on to the end then cross over the small bridge which brings you out on Carrera del Darro.Here there are lots of mansions which have definitely seen better days but are still very impressive. One of these, Casa de Castril at no. 41 is actually the city's Archeological Museum and is free to holders of EU passports. Turning away from the river ( which is more like a mill stream than a river ) passing the church of San Juan de los Reyes, you eventually arrive at the Plaza Larga and then to the Mirador de San Nicolas From here you have the best view in town of the Alhambra and when you've finished 'oohing and aahing 'you can head back down towards Calle de Elvira crisscrossing from one street and plaza to another as you go. The Albaicin has far too many buildings of specific interest to mention here but just wandering and absorbing the atmosphere is all you need to do. It's not as sinister or mysterious as I imagined it would be and parts of it are quite commercialised but you will definitely be glad you came.
