At the beginning of March, Madrid was perpetually rainy. Apparently, March showers bring April flowers? Looking for a change of scenery and a trip before Christian headed back to the states for the better part of the month, we booked two bus tickets to Granada for the weekend. Little did I know, this trip was actually planned for me by my grandfather, affectionately known as Pop, before I even ventured to Spain. He didn’t physically book anything but he did compile a few documents, magazine articles, and so graciously bought me an outlet converter. The outlet converter has been particularly helpful as it was the only one we had for a couple of weeks after arriving.

He gave me all of these farewell gifts when I spent the night with him and my grandmother, Grandma (or Gramma) Corey, before leaving the states in January. While I had good intentions of reading the article he had found about Spain, featured in National Geographic’s Pictures of the Year, I was overcome by sleep and the coolness of their house while staying there. However, I packed the magazine with me, with the intent to read it on the plane and then use pages for journaling after arriving. Alas, once again, my good intentions did not come to fruition and the article still went unread until I was journaling after Christian’s departure in late march. I flipped to the page he had requested I read and I was stunned – it was about the Alhambra, one of the main attractions of Granada. Initially, I felt bad for not reading the article sooner, but the overwhelming feeling was gratitude. It felt as though I was being told, from a higher power, that I am exactly where I am supposed to be, doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing – a new feeling completely. So, thank you to my Pop for thinking of me and supporting me on this adventure and providing me with excellent resources to write about this wonderful place!

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Our journey to Granada began and ended with a five hour bus ride both ways, earliest one out and latest one back. This meant we only booked one night in the hostel and splurged on a private room. While we left Madrid to “escape the rain,” we were greeted with nonstop rain that stayed for the entirety of our trip. Somehow, this has been the case on most of the trips we have made outside of Madrid. However, the rain does not detract from the ornate beauty of the cities I have visited, especially Granada. 

As mentioned, the Alhambra is one of the main attractions of the city, and this was a spontaneous visit for us. After doing research online, I found that the cheapest entry tickets were through the official Alhambra website, at approximately 20 euros per person. These tickets feature timed entry to the Nasrid Palaces, and access to the remaining parts of the fortress. However, when I checked the site, there were no remaining tickets. If I had read the article Pop had given me earlier, I would have clearly seen the portion that said “book tickets at least one to two months in advance.” Hindsight is always 20/20. I decided to buy tickets through a third party operator, as it was something I wanted to experience. This meant that we would not be able to visit the palaces. I searched for the best deal, and was excited when I found one that was just over the cost of the tickets from the official website. I eagerly booked it, happy that I had found such a good deal. 

However, when lying in bed that night, about 2-3 days before, I realized I had mixed up the dates and booked the tickets for the wrong weekend. Insert facepalm emoji here. I quickly went into my email to look at the reservation, hoping to reschedule it, or at least get some of my money back but alas, completely non-refundable. They say to never go to bed angry, but I certainly did that night. The next morning, while on my commute to work, I bit the bullet and booked us tickets for the correct weekend. With tickets booked, at the cost of what would have been 4 tickets through the official Alhambra website, we were ready to depart. 

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We departed Madrid early on Saturday, March 9th, thankfully late enough in the morning that we were able to take a train to the bus station. It was actually the same station where I had previously cried trying to find the office where I received my transit card. I pointed out all of the confusing signs and Christian agreed that it would’ve been very challenging to find the office. 

Once at the station, we made our way down the terminal to the bottom where the buses pulled in and waited only a few minutes before it arrived. However, when it arrived it pulled into the terminal two over from where it was supposed to be. Christian had noticed people leaving but not returning and hurried back inside to tell me the bus had arrived. He also politely told the driver that he should probably notify the people inside that the bus was ready to board. He replied with “I already made an announcement.” 

Once boarded, at the very back, we began our five hour journey to Granada. We both slept and read the majority of the way. The bus made a stop halfway through the trip for people to stretch their legs, use the facilities and get a quick bite to eat. At the rest area I was surprised to find a Popeyes, while I have seen a few other American fast-food chains in the Madrid area, a Popeyes at a rural rest stop was surprising. 

After being greeted by the rain upon our arrival, we traversed our way through the narrow city streets to the hostel to check in and drop off our bags. Immediately, I was stunned by all of the cobblestone streets. There are few cities, including Charleston, that feature historic streets like this – but in Granda, all of the stones are black and white and are crafted into magnificent patterns. I was astonished. I still can’t imagine the amount of labor and time that went into creating such beautiful roadways. 

The hostel was nestled off one of the side streets, one narrow enough that you would have to stand to the side and press yourself into the building if a motorcycle passed by (this happened while we were arriving). We entered and I was taken aback by how warm and welcoming it felt. The majority of the light came from the large skylight in the center of the lobby area, with a cozy kitchen and living room off to the side. Much like our other experience in Gran Canaria, the worker who checked us in was as warm and welcoming as the hostel itself. 

The private rooms were located in a building adjacent to the main part of the hostel, and our room was on the 3rd floor, depending on where you started counting. This part of the hostel was equally as endearing as the rest, with handcrafted wooden panels encasing the staircase, ornate tiles on the floors and walls, and incredibly charming and colorful lamps. After showing us our room, the hostel worker took us up to the top of the building where the terrace was located. Despite the incessant rain, we were still able to enjoy a magnificent view of the Alhambra. 

We quickly ditched our bags, and finished our sandwiches we had made that morning before leaving, and left the hostel to see the city. Our tickets to visit the Alhambra were for Sunday, so we had the rest of the afternoon and evening to enjoy the city on our own time. We started our afternoon with tea, crepes, and pastries after walking for about 20 minutes. The tea shop had a lovely patio where we were able to find shelter from the rain. The patio also had a wonderful, even closer than our hostel, view of the Alhambra. It was certainly the main character of the city. I also, as per usual, made a cat friend. I was particularly honored when it would only allow itself to be pet by me and not the other patrons of the shop. As it began to grow chillier, many of the people decided to head inside. Christian and I were the last ones standing as we embraced the cool air, this was even acknowledged by the server who popped out and said as much. 

Once we had finished our tea, we began our own personal tapas and drinks tour. It seemed like the most appropriate way to escape the rain, as there weren’t many museums and neither of us wanted to do any shopping. And even more appropriate as Granada is the home of tapas! As Christian had previously visited Granada in his study abroad days, we started at one of the places he had visited before, Los Diamantes. 

The tapas bar was packed, despite the fact that it was the middle of the afternoon. Apparently, the rain had driven many people inside for drinks and snacks. We ordered a plate of gambas fritas, fried shrimp, and people watched for a bit. Unknown to us, Granada is a hotspot for bachelorette parties, so this made for excellent people watching. Following Los Diamantes we stopped by a few other places before venturing back to the hostel to make some dinner.

One of which was a rock themed bar that was packed to the brim. We managed to squeeze our way in and quickly realized most of the people knew each other. The slideshow playing on the tv clued me in that it may have been someone’s birthday. However, the environment and people were still friendly and welcoming. A lady even said “we are so glad you’re here!” as we entered. Following our tapas/bar crawl we were both feeling pretty exhausted, and took a short nap before eating. Following dinner we walked around the city to experience it at night.  

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On Sunday, we visited the Alhambra. However, since check-out was at eleven, we had to pack up our belongings and secure them at the hostel before departing for the day. Thankfully, the hostel provided free breakfast, so before showering we ventured over to the main building for some fruit, toast and coffee. We were kindly offered some avocados and peppers by one of the other travelers. This is one of my favorite things about hostels, everyone, including the other guests, are always so kind and inviting. While we didn’t make fast friends here like in Gran Canaria, we still had enjoyable, casual conversations. 

After breakfast, we walked back over to officially pack up and shower off. I called dibs on the first shower and immediately regretted it. I was very much looking forward to a refreshing shower, as it was substantially larger than our one in Madrid. As pictured below, the shower head wasn’t attached to the wall, so while in the shower I turned the water off when washing my hair and body, so it didn’t thrash around everywhere. However, little did I know that while I was strutting around to and fro, perhaps using the shower head as a microphone, water was seeping its way out of the shower, completely covering the bathroom floor. As I stepped out to grab my towel from the counter, I noticed the ocean I had created in the bathroom. Not only had water almost made its way across the entire bathroom, but it had completely soaked my clothes that I had haphazardly dumped on the floor before hopping into the shower. One of my two outfits, and in particular, my comfy pants for the overnight bus ride home were absolutely drenched. Feeling defeated, I quickly dried off, scooped up my soaking wet clothes, and used what drying ability my towel had left to mop up the floor. I warned Christian about the hazard and went to find a place to lay my pants to dry while we were out for the day. Lesson learned: don’t throw my clothes on the floor before stepping into unknown showers. 

After successfully stowing our luggage (two backpacks) and finding a place to lay out my pants, we started our walk to the Alhambra. Surprise, surprise, it was still raining. As the Alhambra is perched on a hill, we had a long and slightly sweaty uphill journey to reach it.

The Alhambra was originally designed as a military area in the 12th century, by the 13th century it became the home of royalty, the court of Granada. We started our tour in the Generalife, which featured magnificent gardens and water features. There was also a staircase that had small coves on either side to funnel the rain water down. Each room and plaza was so ornate, words can hardly describe. The countless archways that led into each room were the most stunning part. Many of them had inscriptions worked into the architecture, which could have easily been missed, if it was not for the audioguide we had. I will let the pictures do the majority of the talking here. 

Following the Generalife, we visited La Alcazaba, which formerly housed the Royal guard. Here there were multiple towers from which you could see the entirety of the city. We even spotted the tea shop we dined at the previous day. Unfortunately, because of our tickets, we were unable to visit the Nasrid Palaces, which feature some of the best parts of the fortress. The tour took about 3-4 hours even without the palaces, and by the end I was damp and quite chilly as I had underestimated the temperature when packing. We were in desperate need of food and a warm place to sit. We exited the Alhambra and found a nice place to grab a small bite to eat. We wanted to keep it relatively light since Christian had made us reservations at a Moroccan restaurant that evening at 8:30. 

We meandered through the city after our mid afternoon lunch and found one of the coolest water fountains! In all of the cities we have visited so far, there are fountains where you can get a quick drink or refill your bottle. This one was in the shape of a lion’s head. 

After our Sunday stroll, we needed a bathroom so decided to get a cup of coffee and a small dessert while we waited for our dinner reservation. Christian and I quietly read our books and people watched to pass the time. Once we left for dinner, we had about 20 minutes of walking to do, and found a small tea shop to replenish our supply in Madrid. Since moving, we’ve both started our day with a cup of tea instead of coffee, a refreshing change.

We arrived at the restaurant just in time, and I was immediately brought a great peace and calmness when we entered. The lights were dim, they had peaceful spa-like music playing and there was a soft trickle of water from the fountain featured in the middle of the restaurant. Unfortunately, I was too worn out and looking forward to food to take any pictures. The server was extremely welcoming and kind, and encouraged us to try the house lemonade. It was one of the most refreshing drinks I’ve ever had, with hints of mint and just the right amount of sweetness. 

Once our first course came out, a variety of dips including hummus and Baba Ganoush, the gentleman beside us spoke up, in English, and asked us if we were also from the United States. We ended up chatting with him for the entirety of the meal, learning that his name was Dan, and he was traveling from upstate New York. Much like myself, this was his first time visiting Europe. He was incredibly kind and it was so nice to connect with someone from the United States. After saying goodbye to Dan, we headed back to the hostel to grab our bags and begin the long walk to the bus station. 

As we walked, we were able to admire the more suburban side of Granada. The streets were quiet, and thankfully the rain held off during our trek. We arrived at the station quite a bit earlier than our departure time so we kicked up our tired feet and read for a while. Our bus ride home was overnight and we splurged on the nicer bus with supposedly bigger seats, but were a little disappointed with the outcome. I tossed and turned in my seat for the entirety of the five hours and was very thankful to arrive home and immediately get in bed. 

All in all, our trip was wonderful despite the hiccups, but that’s to be expected when traveling. It’s also one of the parts that makes the experience so memorable. My advice to those potentially looking to visit the Alhambra would be the same as what I could have found if I had read Pop’s article sooner: book your tickets at least 1 to 2 months in advance. Additionally, my advice to those who still have their grandparents in their lives: cherish them, the stories they tell and the random artifacts they give you. They will not be around forever, as life is as fleeting as the spontaneous weekend trip.