If we had managed to carry out our entire Andalusian itinerary exactly as planned, we would have been pleased—but probably surprised, too. After all, bad luck or chance always seems to get in the way of human plans and ideas.
Nothing bad happened this time, but our trip missed out on not just the cherry on top, but the whole cake.
The jewel of Andalusia is the Alhambra palace complex in Granada.
Granada lies less than 100 km from Málaga, so visiting it was part of our plan.
Knowing that October is still peak tourist season in this part of Spain, we wanted to spend a day exploring the "Red Fortress" of the Muslim rulers.
Unfortunately, we didn't get to carry out our sightseeing plans because, for reasons unknown to us, the site was closed to tourists for the entire month of October!
And just like that, Granada has become the main reason why we simply have to come back to Spain!
Every cloud has a silver lining...
Key facts about the Alhambra:
- The name comes from Arabic (Al-Hamra) and means "Red Fortress." It refers to the color of the walls and the clay on the hills.
-
- It was built in the 13th and 14th centuries by Muslim rulers of the Nasrid dynasty. In 1492, following the Reconquista, it became the residence of the Catholic Monarchs.
I’m including just one photo, taken from Wikipedia. There will be more from our next trip (ha ha). For the impatient, I suggest checking the Internet—there’s plenty to see there.
As a reminder:
Reconquista (reconquest) – the struggle by Christians (Castilians, Aragonese, and Portuguese) to drive the Arabs (Moors) out of the Iberian Peninsula, spanning the 8th to the 15th century.
Moors – in modern times, inhabitants of Mauritania and parts of Algeria and Morocco; historically, however—for nearly eight centuries—they were the peoples inhabiting large parts of the Iberian Peninsula, exerting a profound influence on the culture and architecture of present-day Spain and Portugal.
