Granada, Spain

If I could visit only one city in Spain, I’d go to Granada. It’s about five to six hours from Madrid by bus.

Sadly, I´d never heard of Granada before my trip. Sister #2 thought I might like I visit Granada to see the Alhambra. Sadly, I´d never heard about the Alhambra, either. “It’s an UNESCO World Heritage Site,” she explained, and not visiting the Alhambra while you’re in Granada would be akin to not visiting the Taj Mahal while you’re in Agra, India.

The Alhambra is a fortress and palace complex constructed in the 14th century by Moorish rulers.

You can book tickets for the Alhambra online in advance of your visit. If you forgot to do an online booking before you arrived in Grenada, there may be a wait.

I visited the Alhambra on a Monday morning. It wasn’t a holiday and I arrived at 8:00 a.m. (the complex opens at 8:30 a.m.). The first available time slot was at 11 a.m. Not a big deal for me but good to know for someone on a tight schedule.

As you can see from these pictures, the Alhambra was well-worth the wait.

In addition to a fortress and several palaces and monasteries, there are many beautiful gardens inside the Alhambra. The average visit time is three hours. For me it was longer, because I couldn’t stop taking pictures.

The Alhambra has inspired many works of art.

In 1828, the American author Washington Irving traveled from Madrid to Granada. Upon arriving, Irving described it as “a most picturesque and beautiful city, situated in one of the loveliest landscapes that I have ever seen.

At the time, Irving was preparing a book about the conquest of Grenada. But his visit to the complex prompted him to write a second book called Tales of the Alhambra.

Irving did not think the words he wrote could ever do the Alhambra justice, writing, “How unworthy is my scribbling of this place.” 

Irving´s words resonated with me. I’ve always felt that it’s far easier to express myself on paper than verbally.  When you’re writing you can sit and ponder semantics. You can consult the thesaurus and dictionary. You can cut and paste. The things that emerge for me on paper are often times more precise than what I could ever hope to achieve out loud, impromptu. But I understand now that even writing has it’s limitations. Sometimes, when faced with something beautiful, the written word is wholly inadequate.  I’ve felt that way before on this trip. Humbled. At a loss. Unable to do justice to something.

I felt that way at the Alhambra.