Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.
This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.
We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.
|
|
Going to Granada first time
|
You are logged in as Guest
|
Users viewing this topic: none
|
|
Login | |
|
Richard Jernigan
Posts: 3430
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
|
RE: Going to Granada first time (in reply to tele)
|
|
|
Tickets to the Alhambra come in several types. One is general admission to the fortress itself, access to the Renaissance palace of Carlos V, etc., but no admission to the crown jewel, the Nazrid palace, with its stunning Moorish decor. These tickets are readily available, and often touted by tourist guide agencies at very high prices. A second category includes entrance to the Nazrid palace, at a stated time, and general admission to the fortress. They are 14 euros, but they are sold out for weeks or months in advance during the tourist season. They are for sale at this official site: https://tickets.alhambra-patronato.es/en/ We got onto this site, and noticed that occasionally a ticket would pop up as available. After more than an hour we snagged a couple of tickets for the next day, with entry times a half hour apart. You can go in at one time, and wait a half hour or an hour for your companion to get in. Why the tickets pop up from time to time is a mystery to me. Be sure to go to Bodegas Castañeda near the Plaza Nueva for tapas. It will be crowded at lunch and dinner, but it's worth a wait. When we shouldered our way into the main bar we saw a couple of tables with "reserved" signs on them, but I have never tried to reserve a place there. The main bar may be packed to the point you simply can't get in, but part of the alley next to the building, and an adjacent dining room belong the same business. The rest of the alley, and another dining room are not part of Bodegas Castañeda, but they're not that bad. I noticed a lot of bad Tripadvisor reviews for restaurants near the Mirador San Nicolas. Then I noticed that most of them were written by Granada residents. Yes, the prices are high compared to other locations, for food that is not particularly special, but the views of the illuminated Alhambra at dusk and at night are magnificent, and the food is tolerable. Or you can eat at one of the cheaper places in the Plaza San Nicolas itself, and then sit on the wall and enjoy the view. We stayed at the Alhambra Palace Hotel. It was well run, clean, in perfectly decent condition, and expensive. It's not as luxe as the Ritz or the Palace in Madrid, but it's not as expensive, either. We had one good dinner at the restaurant, and enjoyed the city view from the terrace while we had a drink. There are always taxis available, and they are cheap and honest. A few years ago we stayed near the Alhambra at the Carmen de la Alcubilla del Caracol, a boutique operation in a Moorish house on the hill just below the walls of the Alhambra. I don't remember the price. Parking is a serious problem if you have a car, but driving in the older parts of town are definitely not for the novice. Just park the car and take a cab or the bus. The owner of the Carmen and his assistant were excellent hosts, the breakfast was nice, and the terrace has the same great view of the city and the mountains, snow capped much of the year. I have also stayed at the Hotel Monjas del Carmen. It's decent, not expensive, just a few steps from the Plaza Nueva. There's a taxi stand in the Plaza Nueva, there are plenty of decent places to eat, it's not far from the Cathedral, and the roads to both the Alhambra and the Albaicin start from there, if you're up for walking. Have a good trip! RNJ
|
|
|
REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Oct. 6 2018 21:59:18
|
|
Richard Jernigan
Posts: 3430
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
|
RE: Going to Granada first time (in reply to tele)
|
|
|
I've been to both Granada and Cordoba several times over the years, the last time last year. I've never been treated rudely in either place. There was one incident in Granada several years ago that was a bit strange. I took a taxi from the Alhambra to my hotel just off the Plaza Nueva. The driver acted a bit odd, asking me whether I knew the American gangster John Gotti, former boss of the Gambino Mafia family in New York. I said I didn't. The driver began to mumble to himself, then to repeat over and over, louder and loulder, "John A. Gotti, John A. Gotti,..." This made it clear to me that he was wacked out on speed, but he was never rude. A similar thing had happened a few years before in Phuket, Thailand, but the repeated name was our president at the time, George W. Bush. One expects the tuk-tuk (3-wheel taxi) drivers in Bangkok to be on speed, since they are controlled by gangsters and forced to work insanely long hours, but this was my first experience with a speed-addled driver in Phuket. In each case I breathed a sigh of relief upon safe arrival at my hotel. RNJ
|
|
|
REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Jul. 10 2019 23:46:24
|
|
New Messages |
No New Messages |
Hot Topic w/ New Messages |
Hot Topic w/o New Messages |
Locked w/ New Messages |
Locked w/o New Messages |
|
Post New Thread
Reply to Message
Post New Poll
Submit Vote
Delete My Own Post
Delete My Own Thread
Rate Posts
|
|
|
Forum Software powered by ASP Playground Advanced Edition 2.0.5
Copyright © 2000 - 2003 ASPPlayground.NET |
0.0625 secs.
|