Granada: An Andalucían Adventure

Before my adventure began, I went out on Thanksgiving night with two lady friends. We then decided to meet up with some other lady friends and ended up at a club near my place. It's called Otto Zutz. I don't know if I've shared the name of that place yet. Anyway, it turned out to be one of the funnest nights I've had in Barcelona for a while. It was great.

I then discovered Barcelona's best kept secret. Bus N17: the night bus to the airport. You see, my flight left at 6:35, but the regular airport buses do not leave until 5:30, getting me to the airport at 6. That's cutting it close. I knew there was a NitBus (its name in Catalan), I just could not find it and no one knows about it. Well, long story short, I found it. It was great and cheap.

Anyway, I have homework to do, so let's see if I can cut to the chase without leaving out interesting details.

So, I get to Granada. It is located in the area of Spain called Andalucía. Sevilla is also located there but on the other end, kind of. This is in southern Spain and has a lot of Moorish/Islamic influence (as you'll soon see) because this was the area that the Moors controlled the longest. This is also the "birthplace" of the tapas. They are yummy, tiny treats that you get with a drink, at least in Granada. More on that later.

Anyway, so I get there. I decide that I will first go to this small town called Gaudix (by the way, Carrie, again, I must say, that guidebook you made me get is amazing!). I walk to the bus station and on the way I saw this. I just thought it was funny.
It says McAuto, in case you can't make it out (also, a reminder, you can click on the photos to make them full screen).

Anyway, I get on the hour long bus ride and walk around this town. I suppose I should tell you why I went there. There are tons of casa cuevas, or cave houses. They are homes built into the side of the mountains and hills. It was kinda cool to see. Here are some photos.

It's me!
And look Dad, it's not just people in Washington who don't keep their roofs clean!
And apparently bad fashion is international...
Anyway, I get back to Granada, exhausted. I think I'm getting sick and the lack of sleep probably isn't helping the cause. I take a nap and then meet up with two friends to go tapas hopping. It is great. You order a drink, you get food. Granada is about the only place left in Spain that still does that.

I then went to sleep and woke up early for the Alhambra. I went there about 3 years ago with my family. It was cool to go back. Reminded me of them a lot. Plus, with my new knowledge of the place, it was very interesting. Ah, I suppose, before I carry on, I should give a quick lesson of what it is. It may or may not be one of the seven wonders of the world. Not sure. But there is a saying in Spain: "Si mueres sin ver la Alhambra, no has vivido." If you die without seeing the Alhambra, you have not lived. And it is impressive. It is an old Islamic Palace that sat above the city of Granada. While the outside is quite plain, the inside is spectacular, and you're about to embark on a journey where a 20 year old junior will try to sound impressive by sharing his knowledge.

To warm up here's a picture of me in one of the several palaces. It is widely believed that the Sultan would stand in front of the windows. The light from the sun behind him would blind the people he was speaking to.


Now for some more pictures of the interior. Basically all the blank spaces on the walls were covered. Some may call this horror vacui, which is apparently a Latin phrase about the fear of empty space.However, there's a reason for all the geometric designs and calligraphy. First off, The Qur'an kinda says the iconography is bad. Therefore, you don't see many paintings of things in Islamic art, especially of Allah or the Prophet Muhammad (hence the huge Danish cartoon scandal). Instead of living things, calligraphy and geometry is used. Calligraphy often describes the building or says something about Allah. In a few of these pictures, if you can make out the Arabic writing, they say, "There is no victor but God." Also, Muslims have this belief in the cosmos, order and structure of everything. While the artwork may be random, they are actually all repeated patterns. And circles especially have a deep meaning. The power of Allah, infinity, order, etc. The star, as seen in this dome, stands for the expansion and spreading of Islam.
And it was widely believed that only Allah could build something that could last forever, so Muslims built the Alhambra out of not so sturdy materials (thus making restoration and upkeep of this thing important).
In this pool of water, the building appears fragile, a reminder that nothing last forever.

Okay, moving on, there is also a palace built by Charles V here. It kinda stands out due to its different style of structure.

And there is also an area called El Generalife, which is a summer palace.

And here's an ablution type fontain, only much grander than usual. The ablution fountain is where Muslims wash before they pray.

And that's about it for the Alhambra. I met up with some friends again that night and just had dinner and went to bed early. We tried to go tapas hopping again, but everything was eerily closed on a Saturday night. It was odd...

So, I wake up early at 6am (after throwing up at 3am... Yeah, my body isn't happy) to go to Córdoba. It's a little over 2 hours away by bus. It has a Cathedral that used to be a mosque. This trip was going to be tricky because I had to get there, see the sight, get back, get on the airport bus, and onto my flight.

Córdoba is a nice city with gardens everywhere. I go the the Catedral de Córdoba (Antigua Mezquita) (Cathedral of Córdoba that used to be a mosque) but on Sundays in November it doesn't open until 2pm. Crap, that throws off my timing plans. Well, to kill time, I go see the Alcázar de los Reys Christianos, which I think translates into the palace of the Christian kings. It was cool to see. Here's a photo of me in the gardens.


I get to the Mosque of Córdoba and it is cool inside. Disorienting too. The way it is built you just get a strange feeling.

Here's the Mirab that indicates the direction of Mecca. It also has the 99 names of Allah all around it.The history of this place. One Moorish king built it and then 3 others added on. You can see where and how it was expanded. Then when the Christians took over the city, they eventually built a church right in the middle of it (and other things around inside). Kinda ruins the feel of the place, but makes it very unique.

Well, I rushed to the bus stop, got back to Granada, got on the wrong bus and had to pay twice, got to my hostel and grabbed my bag, and rushed to the airport bus stop. Got home just before 1am and got some Zs.

Today I finished my Spanish and management paper. Just two left: econ and religion. Ah, and I got my econ midterm back today. Oh yeah, aced it. 10. I'm pumped about that.

Okay, now I have to go get some work done. Whew, these posts are a lot of work!