January 2015 - A trip to Granada and Nerja.

We had promised ourselves a trip to Granada along with our good friends Linda and Pete. We had to cancel it last year as I had injured my back and could not face the long drive. No problem this time.

We booked a hotel right opposite The Alhambra Palace and the necessary tickets to allow entry to the Royal Palace. The weather played very fair and we had four glorious days of unbroken sunshine.

The hotel lived up to our expectations. It was Four Star but very reasonably priced. The reception staff greeted us warmly (in English) and took our car safely to their underground garage.

The back of the hotel lets on to an orchard from where one can look over the whole of Granada in one direction and up at the Sierra Nevada in the other. The mountains were snow-capped and made for a beautiful view.

After a good lunch we all retired for a siesta as we were booked in that night for the Flamenco Show in the Albercin area of Granada. The show takes place in a cave:-

After the show we were taken to a viewing point where could overlook the beautifully floodlit Alhambra. Here our guide explained to us the different areas and build dates of the edifice.

Our visit to The Alhambra started at about noon the next day as tickets had been difficult to obtain and the earliest we could get in was 12:30pm. You quickly realise that without the Palace visit the day would be quite incomplete. As usual we took many pictures in and around the Palace.

A walk up hill takes us to the Generalife Palace, the scene of the famous fountains and inspiration for the tune Recuerdos de la Alhambra.

 

In the evening we went into Granada Old Town and enjoyed the hospitality of the bars where they serve you with tapas with your drinks. We visited four bars and had a glass of wine and some tapas in each. The tapas ranged from mini-burgers through to a dish of lamb in a delicious sauce.

To complete the short holiday we went downhill from Granada to the coast and travelled slightly west to Nerja.

Here we stayed one night in the Perla Marina Hotel after enjoying a walk along the beach, the Balcon de Europa, and through the shops followed by a delicious meal in one of the many cafes.

Kathie and I have visited these places on previous holidays and we find it great to re-enjoy them through our friends' eyes. Where to go next time?

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