I wish I were more of a poet or a better wordsmith to have the words to describe the gorgeous views around me. So, instead I’ll just share some pictures from our days in Granada so far. Most everything is new for us here, and some days I just realize how special it is to be able to live in a different and beautiful place and culture for a year.
As you know, we live in the Albaicín neighborhood. The roads and walkways in the Albaicín and historical parts of downtown are all made of cobblestone (empedrado).
These are not all the usual cobblestone streets, the stones are laid with special designs in some areas.
Here’s a pretty typical view walking through the streets of the Albaicín.
You never quite know what awaits you around a corner.
Often you’re surprised with vistas of the Alhambra keeping watch over the city.
Do you see the green draping over the walls in the picture above? That is a carmen. Carmenes are big houses here in the Albaicín behind thick exterior walls with a lush green garden (and sometimes a pool) inside.
The name carmen comes from the Arabic word for grape vines, and often you’ll see vines laden with fruit hanging over the walls. Sometimes it will be greenery, and other times beautifully scented flowers or fruit trees. Soto de Rojas (1584-1658) said that a carmen id a “paradise closed to many and open gardens for a few” (my translation.) We’ve been into a couple of carmenes, and they are always a wonderful surprise of spacious and peaceful green areas inside (and sometimes with a magnificent view of the Alhambra).
My morning run – up to the Alhambra and beyond
A morning run makes me feel good and brightens my day. It’s been fun to have some new routes and things to look at during my run. Here’s are some different views of the Alhambra as I climb the hill up to trails just above it.
And I keep climbing up to the trail:
And as you look back on the Albaicín from the climb up, here’s the view:
Another route that I take up to my run is through this Spanish gate to the Alhambra.
Once I get above the Alhambra, I’m rewarded with some pretty spectacular views.
I’m sometimes worn out before I get to the trailhead 🙂 but it’s always been worth it with this view:
And eventually a bit of nature:
Ok, maybe your tired of seeing views of the Alhambra, but it’s such an iconic and powerful presence in the city.
Centro (Downtown)
We spend a lot of our time in the Albaicín. We do head down to the Centro (downtown) and are overtaken by tourists, markets, and more historical sites.
Ali said when we got here that she’s going to have to get used to seeing lots graffiti again (like we did in Ecuador). There are some more beautiful than this, but it’s really common.
These next pictures are ones the girls took from their first visit to the Centro.
There are lots of tourist shops with fantastic displays.
In the silk market area, there are a lot of people doing henna tattoos. We couldn’t resist.
More vistas
And to finish out this post, I’m going to include some more panoramic views.
There’s another mirador (overlook) called San Cristobal that’s near our house and with a different view of the Albaicín and over the city.
Turn to the right at this lookout and you have another awesome view, especially at sunset. Not quite a Clemson sunset, but it is also stunning.
I think I’ve already shared it, but this is the view from our terraza (balcony/deck). The church at the top is called San Miguel Alto.
One evening after dinner, we climbed many stairs up to the church at San Miguel Alto for some pretty pictures:
And I’ll end this post with another view from San Miguel, the sunset over the Albaícin and beyond.
I’m thankful to share these views and experiences with my family here and now virtually with you, our family and friends.
Do you think we’ll ever get tired of these views?!
