Tuesday 6th November 2018 - off to Granada

After a brief breakfast and some time arranging the considerable luggage into the VW Golf (it took some fitting!!), we set off around 9 a.m. We had a good uneventful run on the excellent roads and soon reached the outskirts of Granada. We stopped off at the airport to see if we could change the flight we had booked from Granada to Madrid for Thursday but Iberia could not do anything so we had a coffee and left.

Finding the Anacapri hotel proved to be a bit more tricky. It was situated on a very small street very near the cathedral in the very heart of the old city. It took several 'go-rounds' before we found the right way to approach the street with the hotel.

The narrow street with the Hotel Anacapri.

Hotel Anacapri

We parked outside, dragged all the bags in to the lobby where we met the proprietor, Kathy, am American who has lived here for 30 years. She proved to be both friendly and helpful. We soon found out that there was valet parking where a gentleman would park the car in a safe garage some way away and return it when we needed it. But driving around Granada was not going to be in the program as it is not easy at the best of times. Soon we were up in our rooms and getting sorted out before meeting again in the lobby for an excursion. Kathy and her staff were very helpful with information about our visit to Alhambra the next day as well as things to do this afternoon/evening. 

We left the hotel and walked the short distance to the Royal Chapel which is adjacent to the cathedral. After paying the entrance fee and obtaining the audio guide we started our tour of this small but significant place. This is a chapel built by Enrique Egas and it is the final resting place of the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. These two were very important people as their marriage brought Granada into the Kingdom of Castile and also linked Spain to other European countries. This place has, therefore an important pace in Spanish history and culture. As with most religious buildings in Spain, this one was very richly decorated with paintings, sculptures, gold and silver and delicate carving and stonework.In the nave are the tombs of the Catholic Monarchs and you can descent into the crypt where the lead coffins lie. Philip the Handsome and Joanna l are also buried here. In the Sacristy there was an exhibition of regal including the Queen's crown and the King's sword as well as the exquisitely decorated missal (prayer book), belonging to the Queen. There was not photography allowed so I will have to use stock pictures.

The Royal tombs

Some stock photos of the Royal Chapel adjacent to the Cathedral in Granada

After visiting the chapel, we set off up the hill for the Mirador of San Nicholas, a favorite place to watch the sunset and get views of the Alhambra. We walked through the winding streets alongside the small River Darro, leaving the Plaza Nueva and Plaza St Ana behind and climbed up the ever narrower streets until we came to the area around the Mirador. Here there was an Islamic Center with a small mosque which was just welcoming devotees to evening prayers. The ante-chamber to the mosque contained much interesting information about Islam. Just across a small street there was another open area in front of the Church of San Nicholas. Here, quite a large crowd had gathered and there were trinket sellers and a flamenco guitarist. Everyone was waiting for the sunset and taking photographs of the Alhambra which was on the hill opposite.

The Mosque at Mirador San Nicholas

It was time for evening prayers

The Alhambra from the Mirador San Nicholas

The snow-covered sierras

Part of the Alhambra bathed in the sunset light.

The city from the Mirador San Nicholas

We stayed for a while to get the best light and then started walking a different way down the hill towards the city center. After some time we found a restaurant called Kasbah which served alcohol. Many of the restaurants on the way down were Moslem and thus did not serve wine or beer. At this restaurant, where the chef seemed to be English we had a nice dinner of couscous with lamb and chicken as well as some nice cheese and spinach pastries, rounded off with coffee and dessert. From here it was a short walk to the hotel and bed.