Sunday in Granada was another picture perfect day with blue skies and warm temperatures. After our early start to the day yesterday, we decided we were not going to push ourselves today. I woke up late and had a leisurely breakfast before we headed out to see what else Granada has to offer.
We headed into the downtown core. We knew there was a large cathedral there so we thought we would start there. Since it was Sunday, I wasn’t sure if we would be able to check it out or not. We arrived at a line of people seemingly going into the church. We paid a small fee and went inside. What we found were the burial sites of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Another couple was buried there as well. Below them was a crypt. People walked down stairs to look at the crypt and then walked back up. We never did do that as the line was too long.
The next room we went into was also a tribute to the king and queen. There were paintings and memorabilia from their time in the 15th century. It was somewhat interesting, but it seemed like we had seen just two spaces in what from the exterior seemed to be a huge cathedral. We exited from the second room to a bookstore and out into the street. I was left with the feeling, “Is that all there is?” I later discovered this was the Royal Chapel, a separate area of the cathedral dedicated to the former king and queen.
Besides feeling somewhat cheated by this, I also left with no photos to share. The church has a policy of no photography, and the attendant specifically informed me as I entered since I had my camera around my neck. So I decided to try to walk around the church to at least get exterior photos. First, however, we went into a building across the street. It was connected to the university and showcased some old architectural features from the period of the Moorish occupation.
I then began my journey around the church. There were a number of interesting aspects to the top of the church, but getting a good photo was challenging. Since it was in the middle of downtown, one couldn’t move too far back to see the top of the church. As we walked around the church, we also encountered an interesting water fountain that was not as old as it first appeared.
As is typical for me another church down one of the streets caught my eye. We headed down to that church to see what we could see there. This church was named St Justo and Pastor. The church has a long tradition dating back to the late 1500s when some Jesuits began ministry here. It was not particularly grand from the outside, but it had a lot going on inside. One thing I noted was there seemed to be a strong emphasis on Mary here. They had a number of statues of her including one front and center in the church. A crucifix of Jesus was above her on the wall.
As we wandered back towards the large cathedral, we came across a plaza where they were having a public market. It was mostly arts and crafts. In the center of the plaza was a large fountain. There are a number of these in Granada. We also saw a group of mostly girls who were experiencing gymnastic activities. It didn’t seem a focused presentation, just kids trying things out.
As we got back to the main cathedral, we noticed people streaming out of the main door and determined that this was the main sanctuary which we had not seen on our previous church tour. So we went against the traffic and went inside. There were notices of no photography again. However, there were a group of musicians that had apparently performed that morning. They had gathered together up front, and people were taking photos of them. We used this as an opportunity to take a few photos since everyone else was taking photos.
Once the group of musicians had dispersed, we hung around a bit to see if we could check out more of the church. However, they began to usher people out of the church and turned off the lights so our moment to see the cathedral was over.
From here we began to wander around some of the side streets near the church. These were indeed narrow streets, but were full of little shops. Much of the merchandise in the shops had a Muslim influence or feel to them. There were clothing styles, lamps, and tiles that felt like one was in Morocco instead of in Spain.
One of the interesting things was the shops of spices and teas. I saw one such shop outside and another large shop full of all kinds of interesting products. The smell is quite intriguing.
At this point we needed a rest so we found the Starbucks and had a cool drink and a snack. Then it was off to explore another region of the city. This part was below the Alhambra. We could see the towers of it from various angles as we walked along. We were at the bottom of the hillside, and a river ran along the edge. Our guide map indicated two spots of interest, but both were closed, and their exteriors were not very interesting. We managed to see the exteriors of two other churches. First was the Church of Saint Gil and Saint Ana. Later we saw the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, but that was about it. We did come across another craft market in a small plaza. These seem to be so common in Portugal and Spain.
After reaching the top we walked over to another street to head back into downtown. As we walked back we would catch views of the Alhambra through the narrow streets we passed.
After our exploratory walk we decided it was siesta time. We headed back to our hotel and some air conditioning as the temperature was approaching 80 degrees.
Later in the evening we headed out again to get some dinner. We went to an Italian place along the street we had walked down the night before. The street itself had changed. There were now structures in the middle of the main promenade. Apparently the city would be starting a book fair in a few days, and they were setting up the booths for the book sellers.
After our dinner we walked over to the river. We passed the large fountain at the intersection and walked along the garden area. Looking across the river, we saw the evening sun falling on the steeple of another church. We crossed the bridge looking down at the hang out place for college students. Nearing the church we heard music. We peeked in the back, and it seemed they were having a dance for seniors at the church. It looked like they were having fun. It turns out it isn’t a church anymore; it’s a hotel, Hotel Macià Monasterio de Los Basilios.
We continued our walk down the river and passed a statue dedicated to flamenco. This is the first evidence we had seen of it here. As we continued walking, we saw more and more apartments. It seems that people live in the downtown area of Granada. Some of the apartments were along the river which at least gives them somewhat of a view. We got a little disoriented as we were walking back, but thankfully my wife’s sense of direction is better than mine, and we made it back to our hotel safely.
Tomorrow we begin our journey home after a few more experiences in Granada. First we will take a train to Madrid. It will take a few days to get home, but we are ready to be there.
As we have journeyed through Europe, have we sparked your interest in any location? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below as well as any questions you might have. All questions are welcome.
Credit: The photos of our dinner taken by Silvette Lee