April 26, Day 61, Granada

 Dan and I went for a run this morning. One of the harder ones — very humid, almost soupy, even though the temperature was relatively cool. There was a half-marathon in town the night before, so everyone had already “run themselves out” — we only saw two other joggers.

What we did see were several processions — people carrying sacred objects through the streets with candles, heading toward the main cathedral. It’s still around Holy Week, and these processions are part of the tradition — beautifully dressed participants, slow movement, and a very atmospheric feel.

At 9:15am, we met up with Dima, Lena, and Mira and stopped at a café near Alhambra — coffee and a local dessert that tasted like rum cake without the rum.

The Alhambra tour was great. A bit of context: it’s a vast palace and fortress complex built by the Nasrid dynasty in the 13th–14th centuries — the last Muslim rulers of Spain. It’s both a military stronghold and one of the most refined examples of Islamic architecture in Europe.

Our guide did the sequence really well — starting with the fortress towers (Alcazaba), which open up incredible views over the city. Then the highlight: the Nasrid Palaces — intricate, almost unreal in their detail, with carved stucco, geometric patterns, water features, and inscriptions everywhere.

Then, the Renaissance palace, the Palace of Charles V, which looks rectangular and heavy from the outside, but has a surprising circular courtyard inside. Built after the Christian conquest, it’s almost a statement piece; it is very different from the delicate Islamic architecture around it.

And finally, the Generalife gardens, the summer palace and gardens of the rulers, with roses in full bloom. A nice way to ease out of the intensity of the palace and back into something softer.

We’ve been here before, but learned a few new things this time. The gardens inside the main complex are actually built over what used to be more functional, everyday spaces — workshops and service areas that weren’t excavated and were instead turned into gardens. You can still see the outlines of the foundations.

And almost every room, even those later used as chapels, still carries Arabic inscriptions. I assumed Christian rulers would have removed them, but they didn’t. The guide explained that Arabic was still widely used, and keeping the inscriptions helped maintain continuity for the local population during the transition.

Granada itself fell in 1492, when Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon captured the city from the Nasrid rulers, the final act of the Reconquista. The transition wasn’t immediate; Islamic culture, language, and architecture lingered for a long time, which is why the city still feels so layered.

We walked back into the old town for lunch — and again, it really does feel like Morocco in places: narrow streets, tiled interiors, decorative details. We had chicken pastilla, just like we did in 2023.

Then more wandering, drinks, and eventually up to a viewpoint across from the Alhambra — watching the sun go down over it. 

Dima, Lena, and Mira went to the cathedral while we were relaxing. Mira asked why people have religion. Dan said religion gives immediate answers. I said it gives people a sense of being cared for, no matter what happens. Dima leaned more toward religion as a tool of control — “opium for the masses.” Pretty deep conversation for that setting — and interesting to hear it from Mira at that age.

Back on the road tomorrow.