Granada: Beauty Personified

It took me 7 weeks of being here to do it, but I finally left Portugal to visit a new country (the Azores are technically a part of Portugal). Spain has been beckoning to me ever since I decided to study abroad in Portugal, with one city in particular being of interest: Granada. Kirsten, one of my professors while I was in Ecuador, had visited before, and said it was her absolute favorite city in Spain. After reading into it, I had a feeling she was right. The city is one of superb beauty, with the Alhambra complex looming on the hillside in front of the larger Sierra Nevadas to the south. The streets are narrow, but full of beautiful buildings of stone that fit in seamlessly with the vibe Granada gives off: ancient and cultured. It was such a beautiful city for both of those reasons. I am confident I can classify everything I enjoyed about Granada under one of those two criteria: scenes and structures.

Beautiful Part 1: Scenes

My first view of Granada from the bus station was definitely overwhelming. The streets reminded me of Lisbon’s, except that they were deserted. However, my opinion quickly changed as Camille (my travel buddy for this trip) and I took the subway into downtown. Emerging from the subterranean station, I was greeted with the view in the above picture (click on it so it doesn’t look like pixels). Deciduous trees still overladen with green leaves (despite it being the first of November) lined the shallow Rio Darro, providing shade to the rare dog-walker or jogger on that peaceful Friday morning. The path along the river was a guide to the older part of town, where one can find the always open market on the long Plaza de Bilbautín, where vendors sold everything from books to realistic dolls. Regal stone fountains guard both ends of the plaza, overlooking the throng of shoppers. As we continued to walk into the city, we saw the first signs of the age of Granada. We got our first view of the Alhambra, which has held vigil on the hill above the city, in its grandeur, for the last 1200 years. More leafy trees, these resplendent in autumn colors, line the Darro here, and provide pops of color to the uniformly colored building. Here, we also ran into all the people who seemed to be missing from the town. People chatted casually over coffee in the seemingly endless array of coffee shops in this stretch, enjoying their holiday morning (November 1st in All Saints Day, a national holiday in Spain, as well as Portugal). Many tourists also made the trek (like us) to Granada, taking advantage of the three day weekend to enjoy its beauty. The rest of our day was spent exploring the narrow streets of the city that create an oblong grid. At the Caves of Sacromonte, we were greeted with a unblocked view of the Alhambra (and also a quieter one; other viewpoints in the city were clogged with tourists). This view made me gasp in awe (quite literally). As we continued to walk through the hills, I continued to appreciate the views of the flat plains of Granada below, and the Alhambra. Unfortunately, the clouds blocked the views of the Sierra Nevadas, but that was not Granada’s fault. Quite simply (and to sum up this blurb) Granada was naturally a beauty.

Beautiful Part 2: Structures

Yes, the Alhambra is the crown jewel of Granada, and possibly Spain, the most visited site as well (over 3 million people per year). However, we did not get the chance to go into it (tickets sold out months ago). I did not end up feeling bummed about that, as instead Camille and I ventured to the Catedral de Granada, a large building situated near the town center. It is quite the grand building! For 3.50, we got inside, and I was immediately in awe. The ceiling soared to what seemed to be the heavens, over 100 feet overhead. Massive columns (that I would soon learn would not actually be as large as columns could be) lined the middle of the Catedral, guiding this intrepid traveler to the main “attraction,” the altar area. Bedazzling is the only word that can be used to be described the altar area. The dome that crowns the Catedral sat above the silver altar, while stain glassed windows depicting important scenes to the Christian faith (specifically Catholicism) encircle the walls above the many arches surrounding the altar. Unlike many other monuments in the Andalusian region of Spain, the Catedral  does not show flavors of Moorish culture, as it was built long after the Moors had been forced out of the region. It is still beautiful nonetheless, a testament to both the brilliant minds of the architects and painters that designed this building, but also to the cutthroat conquistadors who raped and pillaged to get the gold that not only covers the main altar, but the numerous side altars dedicated to various patron saints of the Catholic faith. Honestly, as I left the building, I can say with a high level of confidence that the Catedral was one of the most amazing buildings I have ever been in. I spent most of the time with my jaw dropped on the floor, something I can’t say has happened often. Granada gets bonus points for that. I doubt I will see a cathedral as awe-inspiring as this one (yes, I know there are amazing ones in Rome, etc.)

Thanks everyone for reading yet again! My next posts will all be Spain spam: A post for Sevilla, the other city I visited (I am excited to share this city with y’all) and about the tapas culture of  Spain. After those, I am going to take a short break (about 10 days) from blogging to focus on studying for my two economics midterms, which are each worth 50% of my grade. If I find some spare time, I  might squeeze in one blog, but I will focus on my grades as best I can. Also, its the point in the semester where I am starting to feel mental fatigue, so that isn’t helping my drive to write anymore. Let me know if you’re here reading this! That will help me finish these Spain blogs in a timely manner. The journey continues! I hope you join me as I continue onward towards the end of this trip, and my other European destinations. I appreciate every one of you who reads this. Until next time,

Jeremy Caldeira