On to Granada

We wanted to stay longer in EVERY place we had been so far, and Seville was certainly no exception.  Everybody had said how much we would love it, and we did. But we left late afternoon on Tuesday to travel on to Granada.  We arrived after dark and had some pretty major problems getting to our hotel.  (Definitely more about that later!)  This was the second hotel/hostel Olivia had chosen for us--two for two!  It was called Pension Zurita,  and looked like a hole in the wall, which was one reason we had trouble finding it.  But it was charming!  This hostel was where we realized that they really don't provide washcloths in European hotels.

 This is Granada!

We ate breakfast at a sidewalk cafe, then headed towards the Catedral de Granada, or Granada Cathedral, but very quickly got sidetracked!  We passed this sidewalk vendor with teas and spices and dried fruits, and it was SO pretty and smelled SO good.  We had to stop a buy a little bit of dried fruit for Mama!  I would have loved to stop at every corner, but we were on a mission, and I knew that whatever I bought at this point I would have to carry around with me all day.

Probably too many pictures of the same thing, but everything was just SO pretty and colorful!

Next stop, the Catedral de Granada!

The foundation for the cathedral was started in the early 1500s, and it took 181 years for the cathedral to be built.  It was built to replace the mosque that was there, so it has one kind of foundation (Gothic) and is built in a different style (Renaissance).  It's the second largest cathedral in Spain, and it is SPECTACULAR.

 

 

Just a few of the pipes for the organ, and the songbooks.

Tim was in AWE.

Shopping in Granada

We had so much fun!

After a little shopping, we boarded a bus and headed to La Alhambra, one of Europe's greatest attractions.  It is supposedly the most remarkable fortress ever built.  It was originally constructed for defense purposes, but later the Moors turned the Alhambra into a lavish palace that was occupied by Nasrid princes and their harems.  

And that's a post all by itself!