The word is a very exciting place

 This post is all about the Alhambra, one of Spain's most famous medieval buildings, and also, perhaps my favourite place to visit in Spain. First off, lets get the warning out the way. Book in advance, I cannot stress this enough. If you're trying to visit in the busy tourist season, do not expect to be able to just wander up to the gate and be let in. It does not happen. When I was there, I'd booked about 3 weeks in advance, and still managed to grab one of the last few tickets, and I was visiting in August. So just be prepared for it. Be prepared for queuing in places, and waiting ages because tour groups are blocking doors/rooms etc. But don't stress about it, because there will be times you've got a room to yourself and you can just stand there and really feel the essence of the building (but don't actually touch anything, the complex is too beautiful to have finger marks all over it) The Alhambra complex in my view is perhaps one of the most beautiful buil...

A rather poignant and upsetting, but also very important piece of history within Spain is around the Spanish Inquisition. If you don't know much about it, other than it being referenced occasionally in that famous Monty Python quote, then its one of the saddest and most destructive periods in Spanish history, in which thousands of people, Jews, Muslims, people who had converted to Catholicism, and even people who had done nothing wrong but were caught up in petty arguments and political set ups were tortured and killed. It was intended to weed out and destroy parts of the Spanish Society that were deemed not loyal enough, and often presented itself in gruesome public executions, public displays of punishment, as well as exiling sections of the terrified populace. It started after a period on the Iberian Peninsular of relative religious freedom and little prosecution, but as the Castilians took over more and more of the Muslim lands the desire to prosecute grew. That combined with t...

Continuing my wanderings of Granada, I came across the Casa De Los Pisa near the historic district of Albaicin. It's beautiful, but was difficult to enjoy, as when I was there you could only visit as part of a guided tour, and there was no photos allowed. So I sort of got dumped into a group of Koreans and their guide, so consequently learned nothing about the place, as the guide only spoke in Spanish, and the Korean guide then gave the talk in Korean. So the place is still just as much of a mystery as it was before I visited. What I did like about it, was this little book sale that was going on in the courtyard, where I picked up a couple of interesting looking books for just a few euros. One of those places that is probably better to book ahead for. Next came something really special, the El Banuela, the preserved Arabic Baths. Considering how busy the street was outside, I was surprised to be one of the very few people inside, meaning I almost had the place to myself. It was del...

Granada is a bit like Istanbul, a city so steeped in history and wonder that it feels you are having an out of body experience there. By far, Granada was my favourite place to visit in Spain. If walls could talk, you'd be amazed by all that has happened there over the years. And unlike Cartagena, which has a feeling of change and development, Granada has this fantastic feeling that in some areas of the city, absolutely nothing has changed. (Aside from the Wifi!) You could be forgiven that you are walking the same streets as the rulers of the Emirate of Granada once walked. Or that you're in a restaurant that 700 years ago people discussed the Castillian army closing in. That walking through the Alhambra, you are following the steps of Muhammed XII, as he made the decision to surrender.  I caught the coach from Cartagena to Granada, which is cheap, easy and although took around 7 hours, was relatively stress free. Plus in between my frequent naps and reading, gave you some stunn...