The Towers of Alhambra
Trip Start
Apr 17, 2002
1
22
31
Trip End
May 21, 2002
Granada,
Andalusia,
Spain and Canary Islands
Friday, May 3, 2002
It was a long way down the coast so we broke it and stopped overnight at one of the freeway's rest areas to arrive in Granada about midday on the 3rd of May.
There was work in progress on freeway exits near Granada with some of them closed which rendered the maps useless for the purpose of finding our way into the city. We made an educated guess, picked an exit that took us on another freeway going across Granada, and after a few kilometers, to our delight, we saw the signs to Alhambra itself. We were lucky for once.
Our joy was short lived as we were told that there were no tickets left for the day to get inside and there was virtually nothing you could see from outside the walls
Outside Alhambra Walls
.We were also told that there were no tickets for the next few days (which turned out not to be true) and the only option left to us was to purchase a "super ticket" that included some 40 other attractions in Granada and free public transport at Euro 18.- a pop. We were not keen on "other attractions" but I couldn't leave without seeing Alhambra so we bought one such ticket.
We made the most out of the ticket by using it in turns to see the garden and other things inside the walls. The only place at which this magnetic ticket was swiped through a reader was Palacios Nazaries. Only one of us could go there and it was to be me because firstly I was particularly keen to see as much as possible of Alhambra and secondly it was my turn after Edyta went by herself to Pompeii!
To see the palace inside I had to come again the next day precisely at 10am otherwise they wouldn't let me in.
Indeed we turned up at Alhambra the next morning and after I had completed my tour of Palacios Nazaries we left Alhambra and went to town where Edyta visited some more historical places using our ticket and even got a ride on a public mini-bus!
We also enjoyed great and cheap food (baguettes with some nice stuffing, coffee and sweet buns) in a local cafe.
