Despite being ill and not on top form for a few days while I’ve been here, I’ve had a brilliant stay in Andalucia. So I was a little sad to be going home today, but all good things come to an end. I was able to take a last walk around Granada in the sunshine this morning before getting the bus to the airport. I do hope to be back again in the future!
I’m a big fan of spiral staircases – and this fine example at my hotel was just begging to be photographed before I headed out for a day of exploring Granada:
During the morning I looked for some geocaches and gradually worked my way up the huge hill towards La Alhambra. There was some impressive graffiti along the way:
Here is a collection of images from my walk around Granada:
My afternoon was spent looking around the incredible Alhambra Palace, built between the 11th-13th Centuries by the Moorish rulers of Spain, and later added to by the Christian King Carlos V in the 1500’s.
There is incredible and very beautiful ornamentation everywhere you look. It’s hard not to see hundreds of images around every corner!
Here are my other images from La Alhambra:
Today it was time to leave Órgiva and the mountains, for the drive back to Granada. On the way, I stopped off in the town of Lanjarón, a few miles away. It was pouring with rain, so I found a little café which served coffee and delicious apple tart while I dried out a bit.
Eventually the rain abated so I went and had a look at the famous castle on the hill. It was built by the Moors in the 14th Century. Now a ruin, it is gradually being renovated. It certainly makes a statement, sitting on top of a rocky outcrop, 600m above the surrounding hillside. I also found some fun graffiti on a wall nearby.
Eventually I worked my way back to Granada and dropped off the hire car before heading back into the town to find my hotel for the next couple of nights. Here are a few more shots from today:
We had a lovely little hike along the mountain trail just north of the pretty village of Capileira this morning, taking a picnic with us to eat along the way. There was plenty of rustic life to see!
We also enjoyed the iconic chimneys on the rooftops of Capileira – each looking like a man with a hat and an individual character:
We also visited the picturesque village of Pampaneira to indulge in a spot of shopping and make a few more photos of the colourful wares on show:
Here are the rest of my shots from Capileira:
And some more from Pampaneira:
We had a free day today to do as we pleased. Originally I had planned to take a drive to the coast, but although I was feeling much better than a couple of days ago, I still didn’t feel up to travelling too far. Along with some of the others from the group, I took a walk into Órgiva to visit the weekly Market in the town square. There are always photo opps to be had when the market is in town!
Here are some more from the trip to town:
The afternoon was spent quietly pottering around the villa and its neighbouring Casita garden – the pretty Casita Florita.
There are lots of photo opportunities in the garden:
