---
author:
email: mail@petermolnar.net
image: https://petermolnar.net/favicon.jpg
name: Peter Molnar
url: https://petermolnar.net
copies:
- http://web.archive.org/web/20240623213152/https://petermolnar.net/journal/granada/
lang: en
published: '2024-06-23T22:13:00+01:00'
summary: A brief visit to the a wonderful old town and an unbelievably serene Generalife
tags:
- travel
title: When you have an evening and a morning in Granada
---
The Pa-Kua[^1] Open Classes 2024 Europe (a yearly gathering for the
martial studies school I'm learning from) were held in Malága this year.
Considering how close it is to Granada, where the legendary Alhambra is
located at, it would have been a shame not to visit the place.
My way there was not without tiny bumps, the first being the glorious
12°C I left at 04:30 from Cambridge (to get the 05:17 train for the
8:30? flight to Malága, because there were no flights for the day to
Granada from Stansted). When I got to Malága, it was hot for trousers
with boots, but not intolerable. Buy bus tickets from ALSA[^2] online,
because the spanish seem to be very relaxed about opening the only booth
for bus tickets...
The bus way to Granada is beautiful, passing the Sierra Nevada,
countless olive farms - but there were so many clouds, and, escaping the
monstrous weather from the UK I was getting disappointed. That was until
I got off the bus, and the heat hit me. Eventually I stopped on the
street and changed to sandals and a shirt, only to see a pharmacy sign
showing 35°C. That's with full cloud cover. Once I changed, it was nice.
A week before I realized I messed up tickets are for the Alhambra
admission: the official website is kind enough not to link the
non-guided tours, so it's a bit funny to find those tickets. I left
buying too late, at which point even the Generalife (gardens) and
Alcazaba (fortress) only were out for that Thursday evening planned to
go, leaving me with no option, but to visit in the morning. (If you're
after the tickets: https://tickets.alhambra-patronato.es/en/ ; Google
Maps actually lists the official tickets as well, so that is quite
helpful, and I rarely praise Google these days.)
Anyhow, this turned out to be an excellent decision, as Granada is most
lively in the evening and at night. I took long strolls on the streets
of the Albaicín, and the area of the Alhambra combined with this far
exceeded any of my expectations, this place is simply lovely.
I was planning to only see Generalife and Alcazaba, because according to
photos, the Nasrid Palaces is overwhelming and would need it's own day.
The Generalife, despite having been rebuild countless times, is one of
the most serene, gentle places I've visited in my life, and has
absolutely incredible, equable energies - especially in the morning,
when one has the chance to be alone in some of the spots.
I'm sure the real Alhambra is incredibly, and one day, when I have the
time to stretch the visit into a bit more days, I want to see it. In a
single Friday morning, even the Generalife was wonderful and was
certainly worth the extra bus from Malága.
PS: In [2007, Loreena McKennit gave a surreal, wonderful concert in the Alhambra](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr1nYVCKTQ0). It's on Youtube, and it's worth watching.
[^1]: https://pakua.com
[^2]: https://www.alsa.com/en/web/bus/home