Granada, Córdoba

¡Hola a todos! This weekend I decided to get a taste of Andalusian Spain, in the South where the Muslim Moors occupied this part for over 700 years until 1492. As a result, there is a large Muslim influence and it is quite different from the rest of Spain. My sister Lisa studied in Sevilla, also in Andalucia, so I'm sure she's an expert.

We left Valencia on a night train Friday morning at 1am and stayed in bunks on the train. I was with 3 other random guys, quite an experience. At least I was able to sleep the whole time. We arrived in Granada at 9 and then began our day. We started with the Cathedral, which was very impressive, and then headed to the main site in Granada- the Alhambra. This was the main palace of the Sultan until the Christian Reconquistas took over the city, and fortunately the Catholic Monarchy decided to keep its Moorish appearance. It was unlike anything I had ever seen- beautiful Arabic inscriptions covered all the walls, and the gardens, which were meant to mimic paradise, were breathtaking. We spent the remainder of the day here, and explored just about everything in the complex. Here are pictures!






The next day we took a bus to Córdoba, and saw the main Cathedral there, the Mezquita. This cathedral is very unique (and incredibly famous) because it retains most of its Muslim style as a mosque (the christians built a cathedral in the middle of what was a mosque). The entrance is a beatiful orange tree garden, where the Moors would wash themselves before entering for prayer. Inside is likewise a forest, but of hundreds of columns with double arches, decorated in Muslim style. The sight is breathtaking.


Afterwards, we hit up a tetería (thanks for the recommendation, Lisa), where we had some Arabic influenced food and lots of fun. These are my friends Jackie and Katie.

The next day we walked around Granada and soaked up the sun and the city. This lookout point had a great view of the Alhambra and we went there during the day and the night for a beautiful light up view of the Alhambra.

Then we got on a train and headed back to Valencia! I didn't have a bed this time, and it was very uncomfortable, but I got a couple of hours of sleep before getting to Valencia at 5 in the morning. Needless to say, I slept in this morning. It was a great weekend, and I can't wait to return to Andalucía to visit Sevilla!