Alhambra, Granada 2006

“Give the blind beggar a few alms, my dear
For it is hard to be blind in Granada”

Such was the loveliness of Granada that these immortal words were spoken. The last bastion of Islamic hold in Europe, Granada is a city of melancholy, of sorrow and loss. I would debate against the claim that it is the fairest city in Europe. The traffic, construction work and graffiti in the central areas are certainly blights on this otherwise lovely place. However, walk around the white walls houses of the Albayzin in the quiet afternoon with the Alhambra rising proud opposite and the muezzin calling out the azan for zuhur prayers, you can feel all the serenity and beauty that prompt those words.



We took a mini-bus from Plaza Nueva which took us up the narrow lanes of Albayzin. Instead of coming off at Mirador St Nicholas with its famous view of Alhambra, we mistakenly set down a few stops before. It was all not in vain though. We walked up slowly on the cobbled streets; houses with high gates and fences to the left and the right of us.

The famous view of the Alhambra was elusive until we finally came to El Huerto De Juan Ranas. The door was open for a delivery and we found that is a restaurant, just opening for the day. A step through the door and the fabulous Alhambra spread out before us. The restaurant was right by the edge of the hill opposite Alhambra that we not only have a breathtaking view of the famous Alhambra, we also have the Albayzin spread beneath our feet.

The other time we went exploring round the Albayzin, we went up Calle Elvira. The alleys off the main road look increasingly like Morroccan souks with shops selling the ubiquitous shishas in rainbow colours, tea sets, leather slippers, pouffes, kaftans and scarves. I especially like all the teterias – small shops serving all manner of teas (from camomile to mandarin tea), couscous with lamb or chicken tagines and all types of freshly squeezed fruit juices. The comfy scattered cushions and the dim lighting certainly add to the cosiness of it all. I could happily spend the whole day there but the lure of shopping is far too hard to resist.


No trip to Granada is complete without visiting the jewel itself, Alhambra. I cannot explain the awe I felt as I walked on the ancient streets of Alhambra. The fact is I felt so humble under such grandeur and beauty. It is not the grandeur of jewels and gold but of the weight of such history behind it. No doubt it would have witnessed tragedy and sorrow within its wall but all that paled beside the sheer artistry of workmen many centuries ago.

The Alhambra suffered great destruction after the fall of the Islamic empire but I am glad that it is being appreciated now for being an architectural and artistic wonder. Extensive conservation had started on the site some years back and is still going on. Perhaps if more people were to visit this, they would realise that Islam is not all about terrorist and extremism but it also bred beauty and serenity, as many of my sisters and brother and I know it.

From the ticket gates, you walk through an avenue of cypress trees before reaching the main hub. The Alcazaba will be on your right and the Nasyrid Palaces on your left. The contrast between the military Alcazaba and the elegant Nasyrid palaces is evident. The Alcazaba was the main fortress, built to protect with its strong walls and robust towers. Climb the steep stairs up the two towers and you will be rewarded by spectacular views of Granada.

In the Nasyrid Palaces, you will come the famous Patio de Los Leones “Courtyard of the Lions”. The presence of the brooding lions fountain is a curiosity since animals are not depicted in Islamic art. The contrast between the stocky burly lions against the slender, graceful columns, all 124 of them is remarkable and serves only to enhance each other.

I especially love the graceful fretwork on the arches between the columns. They were beautifully crafted and even if they were made from humble materials like plaster, they withstood the test of time.











The interiors are as richly decorated with delicate carvings of Quranic verses and Arabic poetry. How long would have it taken to complete this amazing ceiling? In other rooms, colourful paintings on skins adorned the ceilings. These depict the Nasyrid Kings during meetings with their subjects. While we were there, these were still being conserved.

The rooms on the outer walls has full length windows overlooking the Albayzin. Despite the fabulous views, it is thought that these windows are often covered in thick materials and the floor strewn with precious carpets and cushions. The walls are again delicately carved and colourfully tiled in geometric patterns.




The Generalife is a short stroll away. It was once used as a fruit and vegetable orchard to meet the needs of this small city but has been converted to a beautiful garden. The summer palace of the Nasyrid kings is situated here as well. I cannot quite see what is the difference and why would this be a summer residence until I walked up to the Patio de la Acequia. Turn a corner and you are right smack in a beautiful garden with jets of water streaming in arches as far as the eye could see. A moment ago you will not have heard the soothing gentle murmur of water and now the sound wraps comfortingly around you.

The gentle murmur continues as you visit one garden after another – all adorned with fountains, streams and in the Escalera de Agua “Stairway of the Water”, the water flows down the grooves fashioned in the banisters.

On the way out of the Generalife, you’ll pass by the side of the Alhambra with shady trees, flowering blooms and comfy benches for you to sit and contemplate the beauty of Sierra Nevada in the distance. And finally, you will walk between two rows of trees with interwoven branches that form a pleasing tunnel of green over your head.

I am not skilled enough to capture the essence of this place in prose or in photography. The photos are my poor attempts to capture the beauty of this place but if you have to chance to go, please do so. I am so thankful I could be here

Practical Tips for Granada :

• We flew from Stansted to Granada airport. Bus service to Granada is just outside the Arrivals and takes 30min to the city centre. There is a tourist information counter at baggage collection - make sure you take a map there. Otherwise, there is another tourist information counter at Plaza Nueva

• Granada has a selection of budget hotels and cheap hostels but it is well worth it to book a self-catering apartment. Another option is to stay in a villa outside Granada and do a day visit to the more interesting spots in the city. For apartment rental, go to www.granadainfo.com which is a fab website on all things Granada

• There are plenty of places to eat but if you do want to cook and need to stock up, it is well worth going to El Campo, a hypermarket about 20 min. by taxi from the city centre (about 5 euros). Otherwise, there is a good supermarket (more expensive) at the basement of El Corte Ingles at Accera del Darro. Almost every McD or BK we see has a small kids playground to entertain the small ones.

• Siesta time is truly alive here - shops will close for a few hours during lunch but will re-open at around 4 or 5pm till 8pm. You will see big family gatherings at lunch spots like McD or BK

Practical Tips for Alhambra

Book your tickets online at www.alhambratickets.com. They limit the number of visitors a day and it is better to pre-book your ticket, then to queue up on the day itself.

Set aside a whole day for Alhambra and wear comfy shoes. The place is huge and you will be walking and climbing lots. You can climb up the hill although a better option is to take the mini-buses from Plaza Nueva which will drop you directly in front of Alhambra. On the way back, it is a nice stroll down the hill.

The food choices are very limited so it is best to bring a picnic. Have a wonderful time.

Sierra Nevada 2006

“I want to see lots of snow!” said my sis-in-law. And because of that, we dragged ourselves out of our comfy beds at 3.00am to catch the 7.00am flight to Granada from Stanstead. It was February school holidays and ski trips to the more famous ski resorts in France and Austria were shockingly expensive. However, we discovered Sierra Nevada, the southernmost ski resort in the West Europe.

It was another early start the next day as we caught the snow bus from Granada bus terminus to Sierra Nevada. Somehow, it reminded me of catching Express Rakyat service to Malaysia. The terminus was already buzzing at that early hour with Spanish waiters busy serving hungry commuters, us included. As recommended by the guidebook, I ordered churros con chocolate and for the princely sum of 1.60 euros, we got a huge plate of fried donut strips sprinkled with sugar and a cup of the thickest hot chocolate I’ve ever seen.

The hour-long bus trip up to Sierra Nevada was hair-raising. I was so relieved that we did not opt to go by car as initially planned. I don’t think M can hold his nerve driving while staring down at the deep valleys and negotiating those hairpin bends. Before long, the landscape started to look like Narnia – white blanket of snow on the ground and icicles dripping from fir trees.









The ski resort, Pradollano, was 2100 above sea level. Colourful concrete buildings housing ski apartment and five-star hotels hugged the mountain side while the centre are choc-a-bloc with ski rental shops and cafés. After settling the little one at the crèche, the boys and sis-in-law headed to the Taquilles to get their lift pass and then off to get snowboards and boots.




Queues for the Borreguiles gondola were snaking round the block but thankfully, it was rapid. The ride up was awesome – we saw skiers and snowboarders coming skilfully down the slope, passed what looked like a grandstand perhaps for when Sierra Nevada staged the 1996 World Ski Championships, before we get off at Borreguiles which is an additional 700m above sea level.

The snow was blinding. We are officially above the tree-line and 2800m above sea-level. If Westin Stamford is above 226m tall, we are about 12x the height of that hotel. The clouds looked very close indeed. Not far is the chair lift to the Veleta peak which at 3100m high is one of the highest peaks in Spain. So high is that peak that on a clear day, you can look out and see the sea and the Atlas mountains in Morrocco from there. My all-time favourite photo of Granada is of skiers on a chair lift with the clouds underneath their feet.

While the boys and sis-in-law were having their snowboard lessons, I was people-watching. It was certainly a busy resort with many novice skiers taking lessons. I will never forget seeing groups of small children (about 3 – 5 years old) in their snowsuits and bibs, carrying their tiny skis. With their skis on, they followed their instructors in a single file with their arms outstretched at their sides like colourful little birds.

Lunch was a quick bite of tortilla bocadillo – Spanish omelette sandwich between fresh baguette. After a few more hours skidding and sliding on the snow, they called it a day. *Tak tahan jatuh lah bob..somemore at that altitude, cepat penat. Anyway, they all happy to posing with snowboard. Hehehe..*


We fetched the little one from the crèche and as promised, tried to build a snowman. The snow was too fresh and loose that it was hard to compact them to the requisite snowman shape. However, she was happy with a small one. She had more fun sliding down the banks of snow and shaking the fir trees so that the snow rained down.

The clouds descended lower and before long it started to snow really hard. We retreated to the Telecabina restaurant for more churros and hot chocolate while waiting for the bus back. It was a huge scramble for the last bus back to Granada. Snow fell down hard that visibility was really poor. The bus had to inch itself down the mountain behind a huge jam. It was a three hour journey back down to Granada instead of the usual one. As for me, I was too tired and was fast asleep in the bus until we reached Granada

Practical Tips for Sierra Nevada

Transport - it is a straightforward drive up to Sierra Nevada but if you don't fancy tackling the hairpin bends, take the bus instead. The bus leaves from the Granada Bus Terminal - it is best to check times beforehand (both to and from Sierra Nevada) since there are only a few trips a day.

Accommodation - Pradollano itself is an expensive place to stay for the night. It might be better to stay at hotels on the way up to the resort or else, stay in Granada.

Families - Sierra Nevada is a good place for kids to learn skiing. It is well worth checking out the availability of English speaking instructors. For those too young to ski, there is a good creche where you can leave them to play happily. It is important to book ahead and they can only accept cash or bank transfer.

Check out www.sierranevadaski.co.uk which is a fab English site for Sierra Nevada