Spain Day 5 - Granada

Had a lazy morning this morning and wandered around a bit and had breakfast before stocking up on water and catching the Alhambrabus up to the entrance of the Alhambra.

I´d booked my ticket for the Alhambra right when I was booking this trip two months ago. And I was really glad I´d done so! Talked to a couple of people who didn´t book and so couldn´t get in at all. Tickets book up really quickly - they let about 80 or so people into the Nazrid Palaces at half hour slots throughout the day. And the slots must run from 8.30 in the morning until about 6pm, so that´s lots of people. Loads of groups. They´re really strict about when you´re let in too - I overheard one guy at the Tourist info centre saying that they´d been late because his girlfriend was sick, and they weren´t let in at all. And when they´d tried the next day they were out of luck.

There were a couple of things I was glad I did - I arrived up there at noon, even though my slot wasn´t until 1.30, so that gave me plenty of time to wander around the gardens and get my bearings. And I also paid 3 € for the audio guide which was very useful and meant I didn´t have to stop and get my guide book out all the time!

When i actually got into the Nazrid Palaces, I was blown away. It really was lovely and very spectacular. i´d been really impressed by the Alcazar in Seville, but the decoration and design here were on a whole different level. Lots of rooms with intricate carvings and stucco ceilings, as well as reflecting pools, and views out over the city. Spent about two hours in the Palaces, and then had a look around the Alcazar and the Generalife Gardens. Had about six hours up there in all! Took loads of photos, but bought a book on the Alhambra as well.

After catching the bus back down to the centre, i went to the Arab Baths for a soak and a massage. These Baths were quite a bit smaller than the ones in Seville, with only two baths, a hot and a cold. There was also quite a small, unisex changing room with tiny areas curtained off for private changing. Massage was also a bit fierce! But it was nice to have a relaxing soak, and the tiling and atmosphere were lovely.