Andalusia | Granada

Seeing as I did wrote and uploaded 2 posts from Seville and Cordoba which you can read here and here I thought I'd finish the Spain travel diary installments because a) they deserve to be completed and b) I'm going to Madrid in June (eek) so I want to get all my previous Spanish city posts up and can add to the collection soon.

My dad and I traveled around the major Andalusian cities including Seville, Cordoba, Granada and finally Malaga in the summer of 2016. I definitely don't have enough photos from Malaga to create a whole blog post out of it as most of the days were just spent lazing on the beach and eating amazing ice-cream (as you should do). This trip is one that I have the fondest memories of, people are often shocked when I tell them that it was my first time visiting Spain considering how much I love the place, the language and everything about it.

Looking back on these photos and reminiscing on the days spent walking through the neighbourhoods in old towns, orange tree lined promenades, falling in love with flowery patios, devouring every bowl of patatas bravas I can find and the general laid-back atmosphere of the country makes me want to live there even more. Also the coaches have wifi and the trains are super good. British trasnport services could definitely take a leaf out of their book.

Anyway, I digress. Granada!

The home of the Alhambra Palace, a Moorish creation that leaves the legacy of the Islamic and Almohad cultural heritage of Spain and the caliphate that spanned the majority of it from 711 AD to 1492 AD (cut short by La Reconquista...I always wonder what Spain would be like if it had never happened in the first place- it is a very interesting thought to have)

The cities name is said to either have come from the Spanish word for pomegranate (a very abundant fruit) or from it's Moorish name 'Gharnatah'

I would definitely recommend walking through the city at your own pace, the hills and small intertwining streets of Albaicín are so lovely to walk around and the views from the top are worth it. Of course I would tell you to visit the Alhambra because it's rife with history and is simply just beautiful to walk through and the views again, it looks like a post card! You can definitely see the Islamic influences first-hand with a variety of Mudejar architecture, the arches, Quran verses carved into wood and intricate tiling. 

If When I go back, I'll definitely go to the Parque Federico Garcia Lorca, a place created in memory of him after he was shot  in the city by Franco's nationalist forces. There is so much to get through! The University is so lovely too and the same style of architecture can be found, it is also said to be one of the best in Spain although I'm not too clued up on their league tables or equivalent.

view from the hotel room 

I wish I took some better photos, it's safe to say that my photography two years ago definitely wasn't the most impressive ;) thankfully it's impossible to take a bad photo of such a beautiful city.

I think that Andalusia is so overlooked when it comes to Spain (as well as the Basque Country in the North) as people mostly focus on the major cities of Barcelona and Madrid and the coastal cities in the South for the typical brits abroad getaway. However, I am urging you to give this amazingly historic region a visit, it is usually cheaper than above said cities and travel links between the cities is incredibly efficient and reasonably priced.

Have you ever visited Andalusia (or even Granada)? Does it seem like a place you'd like?
Dalal