A (lengthy) post of images from our excursion to Granada and Torremolinos: Part 1
I started with about 800 pictures from our first excursion, which began at 9am Thursday (6/21) morning when we met up by the bus, and ended at 8pm Saturday (6/23) when we pulled back into the same square in Ciudad Real. Many brave pictures will not see the light of day to make this post as short as possible -- but there will nonetheless be two parts to it to help with loading times. This first segment includes our walk through Granada and our journey to the Alhambra. It draws to a close just as we pass the ticket booth and dive into the heart of the Alhambra's main palaces. The next post will document these, as well as our time at the beach in Torremolinos.
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We started off in the morning at 9am from la Plaza de San Francisco in Ciudad Real. It was about a 3 hour trip south to Granada, so everyone had inevitably fallen asleep before we had barely begun our adventure.
The back of the bus was still wide awake and ready to go!
We took a pit stop halfway into our journey to use the bathroom, pick up some snacks, and grab a couple (only slightly-overpriced) souvenirs from the gift shop on the road.
After we got into the hotel and set our things down (it was only noon, and the rooms wouldn't be ready until 2, so we had to leave things in the luggage storage room and hoof it), we headed next door to a large monument/park to eat the bocadillos, or sub sandwiches, that had been prepared for us by the school cafeteria.
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Already, the cameras were out in force. After more than three hours on the road, everyone was ready to (1) stretch their legs, (2) get something to eat, (3) and start documenting their journey photographically.
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And then we were on our way. We split up into groups of six, and headed down the Paseo de los Tristes, which is a lengthy road (mainly pedestrian, although there were more than a few passing taxis and motorists) with tourist shops, restaurants and government buildings. At the far end, it passes below the Alhambra.
Another photo op!
Part of the Alhambra above us.
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The next step (ha, pun intended) in our journey was to ascend Sacromonte, a large hill with cave-houses built into the side that rises high above the city.
As it was somewhere near 100 Fahrenheit out, we took a break for photos and waters before continuing to ascend the hill.
A small kitten wandered out when we stopped for a second water break, and suddenly became the favorite part of the trip for all involved.
A panorama from a lookout point atop Sacromonte, just in front of an old chapel. Below, Granada was laid out, and just to the left is the Alhambra atop a slightly lower rise.
Luckily (for my nerves at least), on the other side of the wall was a drop of only a couple feet!
One more group photo for the road?
Okay, maybe two.
A look at the local wildlife. There wasn't much alive on the mountain except the buzzing/chirping insects that lived in the tall grass, so it was a welcome relief to see something some variety.
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And then we were back together with the group, gathering to enter the cathedral of Granada for our audio-guided tour.
From the inside, it was a massive, wide open space with tall pillars, vaulted ceilings, and checkered tile floors.
The audio-guides worked like decade-old home telephones -- a little bulky, and you had to hold them close to your ear to hear.
Ah, here's a look at the ceilings.
A ray of sunlight from above. There wasn't much light in the cathedral, which meant a lot of my pictures turned out far too blurry to make out anything useful...
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The day ended after our time at the cathedral with a walk back to the hotel, an hour to shower and change, then dinner together in the main dining hall, card games in the sitting room below, and then turning in by 11pm, since we needed to be up early the next morning to eat and pack our things into the bus before our Alhambra reservations at 9:45.
Another bus trip. Heading out, everything packed, on our way to the Alhambra, everyone was chatty and eager to get started.
The descent from the bus. And we can notice a moment of surprise as everyone realizes they're on camera. :-)
Some people didn't even pay attention to me!!
Others were getting ready to hide from the camera as soon as they caught sight of me.
And still others were just happy to be there!
Gathering together, we made sure everyone had everything, then headed toward the ticket booth to gather our tickets and guide (Gerardo, a friendly fellow who spoke slowly for the students' sake).
Juan shaved!
We all received nifty little radio devices and a headphone, which Gerardo spoke into, allowing us to hang back a little and take pictures while still hearing his descriptions.
There's Gerardo, already starting to give some basic descriptions of the morning's schedule to the students as they put on their headphone.
Large, red buildings loomed on every side as we worked our way toward the entrance. Alhambra is apparently Arabic for "The Red," referring to the color of the stone. It was also the last major stronghold of the Moors on the peninsula before being evacuated in the 1400s.
A small sign to remind us of where we are, in case we forget.
The typical horseshoe-shaped Moorish entryways you see in many places throughout Spain.
Water drainage from the roof. The Moors had numerous means of directing water, using gravity to their advantage, to keep gardens green and cities watered even in the dry heat of the Spanish summer.
We took a quick bathroom break before entering the central grounds of the Alhambra.
Our entry to the grounds was for 10:30, so we had a quick few minutes to walk around a little and see what other buildings stood in the entryway to the palace.
Although she didn't want *me* to photograph her...
Sofia was quick to ask someone *else* to take a picture. Is it something I said?
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Other than that: this week, we'll be going to the movies tomorrow evening (6/27) to see Jurassic World (in Spanish, of course) as a group, working on the farewell show in the afternoons, and on Friday (6/29), taking a field trip to Toledo. While there, we'll get to see some of El Greco's art, look into a couple museums, try to avoid the 90-degree heat, and possibly do some shopping. The city is known for its marzipan, saffron and ironworking. More updates on that this coming weekend!
-M