Planning My Alhambra Adventure
Last Tuesday I grabbed my backpack and thought: “Heck, time to finally see this Alhambra place everyone keeps yapping about.” Hopped on * and snagged a Granada hostel bed – cost me €17 a night! Pro tip: book Alhambra tickets months early ’cause they sell out faster than free doughnuts. Almost screwed that up myself.
Surviving the Mountain Climb
Woke up at 6am thinking “this better be worth the alarm”. Took city bus C30 uphill – driver must’ve trained as a racecar driver with all those sharp turns. Saw folks huffing and puffing walking up that steep road and felt smug about my €2 bus ticket. Stupid mistake: wore new sneakers that started biting my heels before I even reached the gate.
Entering the Time Machine
First stop at Nasrid Palaces made my jaw drop. Those walls! Covered in swirling patterns like giant stone lace. Ran my fingers over 700-year-old carvings while the guide explained: “See these star shapes? Moors did math with decorations.” My brain struggled to compute how they built these honeycomb ceilings without computers. Kept bumping into pillars ’cause I was always staring upward.
Craziest things I saw:
- Lion Fountain courtyard where 12 marble lions actually spouted water from their mouths
- Wall script calling Allah like 9,000 times – lost count after 5 minutes
- Secret Sultan bathhouse with star-shaped ceiling holes
That “Oh Crap” Moment
Got super thirsty around noon and bought €5 bottled water near Charles V’s palace. Saw a Spanish grandma pull out a giant thermos from her bag and suddenly felt ripped off. Later got yelled at by security for accidentally touching a 14th-century column – who knew old stone was so fragile?
Final Thoughts While Limping Downhill
My feet were screaming but I finally got why folks call this place magical. That moment in Generalife Gardens watching water dance through ancient channels? Chills. Funny how Spanish kings just plopped their Renaissance palace right beside Islamic art like neighbors in a weird apartment building. Would totally go again – but next time I’m bringing:
- Old comfy shoes (duh)
- Mega water bottle
- Binoculars for ceiling details
If you go, don’t rush. Sit on a bench, imagine sultans walking by, and just soak in eight centuries of history fighting over one incredible hilltop. Still dreaming about those geometric tiles…
