Granada

I know that it has been almost an entire week since my trip to Granada, but things have been busy here in Baeza since then.  But for those of you who didn’t know, I spent last Sunday in Granada with my roommates.  I was unaware but the trip to Granada is only an hour and a half by bus, which made the trip an easy one.  We hopped on the first bus at 8:15 that day and arrived in Granada before 10 am.  

After a quick pit stop at a café nearby, we made our way to el Parque de las Ciencias.  Our ever important guidebook informed us that second to the Alhambra, it was the #2 place to see in the entire province of Granada.  And they were right.  It is really an enormous science museum with more exhibits than I can remember.  They have an antarctic exhibit, a planetarium, a giant chess board, a labyrinth, a tower where you can see much of the city, an observatory, a butterfly house, and many more cool things that are science related.  We were able to see most of it, but it really is so big that you could be there the entire day.

Following the park, we made our way to el bus turístico where we rode around the city for a bit on the the second level of a double decker bus.  They gave us some headphones and we listened to an audio tour of the scenic things along the route.  We passed many cool things including the university, many important government buildings and a park that surrounds the former house of Federico Garcia Lorca.  We didn’t get a great view but I’m sure I will return some other time this year.

We left the bus at the stop where the cathedral and the chapel are located.  However, in accordance with the strict spanish tradition of the siesta, it wasn’t open as it was about 2:00 and nothing is open from then until at least 4:30 or 5:00.  Sometimes it can be a hard thing to get used to as you plan your schedule around these midday breaks.  But lucky for us, on this day there was also a renaissance/medieval festival going on in the plaza area just outside the cathedral.  It was really cool.  We had some doner kebab for lunch and polished it off with some helado (ice cream) at a nearby heladería.  While we sat on the steps of the cathedral and enjoyed our lunch, we enjoyed the festivities.  Stands were set up everywhere, street musicians surrounded us, and gypsy women continually approached us as they attempted to tell us our fortunes.  The atmosphere was a lot of fun and really made me think yet again about how lucky I am to be in the situation that I am.  After finishing our delicious meal, we walked around the festival for awhile and then made our way over to a nearby plaza where a statue of Isabel and Columbus stands in the center.  How fitting to be there on that day, when Columbus Day  was the very next day!

When the time finally came when we were able to enter the cathedral, we hurriedly made our way inside and the sight before us was breathtaking.  I read either on-line or in one of my guidebooks that Isabel desired only a humble cathedral and chapel here for her.  Fortunately for us the architect did not exactly respect those wishes, but what stands is in my opinion a mix of two things.  The space is enormous but the grandeur is not as elaborate as one might think.  Especially for someone who holds such an important place in the history of Spain, Europe, and the Americas.  It is a beautiful cathedral that although in size is largely impressive, still has an unassuming feel.

During my four years studying at the University of Minnesota, the history of Spain was a focus that I enjoyed.  I took many classes on her history, culture, and literature.  I even took one entire course on the most famous spanish novel, Don Quijote.  But in all of these classes, the reign of Isabel and Fernando stuck with me the most.  It is hard to argue against their importance and impact.  From Columbus, to the re-conquest of Granada, the unification of the nation, and to the inquisition, their time as los reyes católicos had a reverberating impact.  All of these reasons combined made the visit to la capilla real an important one for me.  Here lies their tomb along with three others who although important I will not discuss here, although one of these includes Juan la loca, who, if you have time and interest, has an interesting place in spanish history.  Although no pictures are allowed inside la capilla real, I have it photographed in my head.  Inside are two stone beds with the figures of Isabel, Fernando, Juana, and her husband.  You can also go down some stairs and see the actual caskets of the five bodies entombed.  I couldn’t stop thinking about how unbelievable it was for me to be in that room with such historical importance.  I only wish I had pictures to show you all.

After leaving the cathedral and the chapel, we hopped on another bus and made our way up the hill where we explore the Alhambra and the Generalife for the rest of the day.  First we headed towards the Generalife which is amazing in itself.  The area is a palace I suppose with an amazing view of the city and the Albaycin.  This is the neighborhood nearest the Alhambra.  An interesting thing about the area is that most historians say the name has something that means “the people of Baeza”.  Apparently when the city of Baeza was re-conquered by the spanish, the Moors that were living there fled to Granada and settled the hillside nearest the Alhambra.  Pretty cool little fun fact about my town and its former inhabitants.

Back to el Generalife.  Besides the palace, the Generalife is actually known for its elaborate gardens that surround it.  Its a really fun walk to the building itself.  After you go through the building, there is even what they call a water stair where the railing on the stair is actually a sort of pipe that takes water down from the top of the hill and down towards the building.  These gutted out water pathways can be found all over the compound.

After the Generalife we made our way to the Alhambra.  It is actually a fort, a castle, and a palace all in one.  The fortress part of it, called the Alcazaba is what you see in all the pictures.  We were there at the end of the day and I have some great shots in the last hours of sunlight that day.  In all, the Alhambra is a huge area.  We were actually inside and walking for quite awhile before making it to the tourist portion of it.  First we entered el Palacio de Carlos V, which was built after the spaniards conquered Granada in 1492.  The architecture seemed a bit strange to me, as the outside of the building is square in its sides, but the inside is a circular courtyard that looks more like an arena where you might see a bullfight.  Next we toured the Alcazaba, where we saw areas like the barrio where people lived, el baño, and the many towers still intact.  Once again, fantastic views of the city and the Sierra Nevadas nearby.  Finally we went through the Nazrid Palaces where the higher ups called home during their time of occupation.  Its a massive compound that yet again has courtyard after courtyard followed by garden after garden.  The item that these palaces are known for however is the amazingly intricate markings on all of the walls and ceilings.  The designs are amazing and although I have included some pictures here, it is hard to understand the complexity and time it must have taken to complete such artwork.

All in all, the day was a success.  A whirlwind but a success.  I will have to return again and visit the two monasteries in the city and maybe see some more of the science museum and the park where Lorca’s house is located.  Not to mention we passed the Plaza de Toros where they host bullfights.  It puts the one here in Baeza to shame.  Our last adventure of the day involves only two of us.  There were four of us in our group from Baeza.  Two of us decided to stay the night in Baeza, but Julie and I headed towards the bus station.  However we encountered a problem when the buses shut down due to El Día de la Hispanidad (Columbus Day) celebrations.  We had to make it all the way to the other end of town without a map and a bus to get us there.  I will have to go back and calculate the distance that we ran and walked but over an hour later we managed to catch the bus about five minutes before departure.  One adventure after another.

My next adventure is the Fería de San Lucas in Jaén next weekend.  Until then.  Adios!