Thursday (02/19/2015)

We left from Round in the afternoon (read about our trip here) and after 2h30 on the road, we arrived in Grenade. When we entered the city, we came across some streets that were only for residents or hotel guests, but we were worried because we hadn't told our hotel that we would be going by car.

We had to call the hotel to find out the best way to get there and after some stress, we arrived at our destination. We stayed at Nuns of Carmen, which is a super modern, comfortable hotel, with a great location and excellent breakfast (from the restaurant The Manuals). We loved it and recommend it to everyone!

As we arrived almost at night, we rested a little and went out for dinner. With the help of TripAdvisor, we chose an Arabic restaurant very close to our hotel, the Arrayanes. Very interesting atmosphere, great food and impeccable service. We forgot that Arab restaurants don't sell alcoholic beverages, but that's okay... lol

Friday (20/02/2015)

After a hearty breakfast, there's nothing better than going out to explore the city, right? The attraction of the moment: the famous and long-awaited Alhambra. <3

For those who don't know it yet, here's a summary: The Alhambra was built in the 9th century as a small fortress, but in the mid-11th century, it was renovated and expanded, leaving it with the structure that exists today. In 1333, the Sultan of Granada Yusuf I converted it into the Royal Palace of the Moorish kings, but this did not last long, as the Catholic kings invaded the city in 1492. After the invasion, several modifications were made to its structure and one of the main ones is the Palace of Charles V, built in 1527.

Oh! A very important detail: buy your ticket in advance!!! This attraction is one of the main attractions in the country (I think it's THE main one!!) and it's always packed. I've read several reports of people who tried to buy tickets on the spot, but couldn't. We bought the full ticket. here and then we withdrew it from an ATM machine in town. It was super easy! Check it out here also.

We bought the ticket with entrance to the Nasrid Palaces/ Nazaries to 12pm and we were leisurely strolling through the other parts of the palace. We begin the tour in the area known as Generalife, which was the summer palace of the emirs of Andalusia. I loved the scattered water fountains and the garden, even without flowers, since we went in winter.

We then continued on to the Alcazaba, which was a fortress and prison at the same time and is the oldest structure in the complex. The views are sensational!

We then entered the Palace of Charles V, built in Roman style, which has nothing to do with the rest of the complex. Interesting, but nothing special in my opinion.

Finally, our time to enter the Nasrid Palaces arrived and off we went to the well-organized queue! (Pay attention to your schedule: You can't enter at a time other than yours, okay!!).

Guys, I thought everything was spectacular!!! Every detail of the tiles, arches, gardens, sculptures, designed ceilings... in short, what they did there before the 15th century is truly beautiful and impressive. Please set aside a day of your life to be enchanted inside. You won't regret it! Here are some photos to make you drool and want to go too:

After a few hours inside the complex, we left with a sense of accomplishment, you know? After all, it was because of her that we put together the Andalusia itinerary and were enchanted by everything else we saw (especially the Cathedral/Mosque of Córdoba). 

We went down through the forest and went to see the city, but with the good feeling of knowing that the main thing had already been seen, which was perfect, as we did things calmly afterwards. We chose to have lunch in a restaurant with a view of the complex, so we went up to the San Nicolas Viewpoint. What a wonderful atmosphere there was at the viewpoint, with so many artists and tourists enjoying the spectacular view!!!

We chose a restaurant right in front that was empty when we arrived, but got packed later. The food was great, but the service was bad, but with that view, there was no way to be in a bad mood, right? (Sorry, but I don't remember the name of it!).

We went down to the city and walked through the streets, falling in love with every detail. It's so beautiful! I want to go back!!!

After some time walking, we entered the Granada Cathedral, which is beautiful inside and out.

We went to dinner at the restaurant Carmela, which is next to our hotel and we found all the food delicious!

Guys, I'm in love with Spanish cuisine! <3

Saturday (21/02/2015)

We had a great breakfast and off we went, hitting the road for 3h30 to Toledo. A lot of ground!

Want to know all the details of our trip? Andalusia, in Spain? Just click on the links below:

• Summary of 8 days in Andalusia
• Córdoba Itinerary (1 day)
• Seville Itinerary (2 days)
• Jerez de la Frontera and Vejer de la Frontera itinerary (1 day)
• Tarifa, Gibraltar and Marbella itinerary (1 day)
• Round Route (1 day)
• Granada Itinerary (1 day and a half) 
• Toledo Itinerary  (1 afternoon)
• Madrid Itinerary (1 day)