Finally we made it and saw the Alhambra in Granada! We left really early (well, 7 o’clock is early here :) ) and two hour later found our parking place and our hippie hostel on a hillside at the verge of the town. Dumped our bags and headed for queueing in front of the Alhambra ticket office. But… there was no queue at all. We got our tickets in a minute and this time we were allowed to enter the Palace only in 40 minutes not after 4-5 hours. Perfect! :)
The Palace (Palacio Nazaríes) itself is a miracle. The decoration is so rich that you can hardly take it – I love the Arabic architecture! Sorry if you feel that I put up too many pictures, I love them all… couldn’t select… :) We discovered the other parts of the complex as well, but couldn’t get into the Jardin de la Sultana in Generalife, because our time frame for the visit expired by 20 minutes… (We weren’t the only ones who came off like this: before us a small group of elderly tourists were sent away from the empty garden too. Rule is rule! :P )
After buying some food and drink for the night, we couldn’t stand longer the heat (around 31°C in shades) and went back to the hostel for a late siesta. We had some sleep, ate the lamb chops which we had received from Tomi and Peti, and enjoyed one of the most beautiful sunsets in our life. The hostel is on the next hill to the Alhambra: the view from here is the best in the city for sure! :) Elena spent that weekend with her friends in Granada too and we joined them for a few drinks at night. This time we didn’t dance, but being with her and her friends was fun as usual. :)
Next morning we packed and left the hostel. We met the others again for a tapas lunch. it was delicious! I found a new favorite the capsicum jam which they put on almost every snack. I loved it so much, that I had to restrain myself from licking the plates clean… ;)
In the afternoon we headed for Cordoba. The heat was insufferable: outside it was 34°C, in the car 42°C. While the car consumed 12 liter during that two hours we drank 6 liter in drinks and water… :) After occupying our rooms in Cordoba we roamed the city for a while. To be cheap and to please Lisa from afar we had supper in a Burger King (she always wanted to go there in Malaga). I still didn’t get used to the fact that they serve beer here – I just couldn’t miss the chance. Salud! Later at night we went up to the rooftop of the hostel: chatted and enjoyed the warm air, the comfy sofas and the bottle of cold tinto verano.
On Sunday we visited two of the main sites in the city. The Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos is nice and its gardens are beautiful. Then again thinking of Lisa :) we tried the churroz (deep fried dough) on the street. We asked it with sugar, this way it’s really nice. (Without sugar we had felt it oily and heavy.) We viewed some of the patios which Cordoba is famous for; their owners competing with each other fill them with loads of plants carefully arranging them around the wall.
And we left best for the last: the Mezquita. This huge Islamic temple, house of prayer is unique in the sense that the structure resembles an oasis palm grove: a forest of columns and arches hold the roof over the worshippers’ heads. Though photographing tourists has displaced the rows of praying believers, and the 19 doors which once filled the interior with light won't open anymore, the place is still impressive. You cannot wander enough and from every existing angle you want to admire the rows of columns and red-and-white-striped arches disappearing into infinity. Overcoming! :)
We didn’t have energy for more. We chilled out a bit at the hostel, waited for the heat to calm down and drove back to Malaga. It was worth to wait, there was only 41°C in the car… :P
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