Adventures in Spanish 2013: Granada and her monuments

Granada is the in autonomous community (think province) of Andalucía. Andalucía is one of those places that conjures visions of those things that extranjeros (foreigners) often think of as quintessentially Spanish - dancing Arab horses, Flamenco, Gypsies, bull fighting, olive groves, dry deserts, and sun, lots of sun. Let's not forget the Moorish architecture and influence as well For anybody with a passing knowledge of history, you probably also know Granada place in the "Reconquista" of Spain, when the Catholic Monarchs finally united the whole peninsula under one rule and expelled the Moors (Arabs) etc. Granada was the last Moorish kingdom to fall.

So, whilst most people probably think of Granada as having a strong Moorish flavour (and they wouldn't be wrong), there is a strong presence of medieval and renaissance architecture and monuments as well. Due to the Jewish population, there is some surviving elements of this culture as well. So, along with the wonders of the Alhamba, there are massive churches and monasteries, Arab baths and winding, narrow streets of the Albaicin and the secrets of Sacromonte with its lively Gypsy population and of course, Flamenco.
Getting lost in the streets of the different areas is the best way to find amazing sites and history, and as often as not, very interesting people.

Below are some of my favourite places.