The Alhambra in Granada, Spain

Last week we were able to visit the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. They limit how many tourists may enter in one day, and therefore tickets are highly sought after. We had to purchase our tickets in advance online (13.50 Euros each, kids free), and so we picked the clearest day on the weather forecast.

Low and behold, that day rolled around and shared with us the worst weather, yet!  If we had not already booked our tickets, we certainly would have canceled our plans…but alas, we were off.

We drove the 2+ hours from Marbella (where we are renting a home for 3 weeks) to Granada in the pouring rain. We found the Alhambra without much help from our GPS (meaning—it wound us around the city in ridiculous patterns), and finally we pulled into the parking lot. We were wondering how we were going to manage with only 1 umbrella and 2 raincoats, with 5 bodies to keep dry.

Lucky for us, we were immediately assaulted by a dozen umbrella vendors, selling cheapo umbrellas for 5 Euros each. Money well spent!  We picked up two, and Jared and I put on our rain jackets from our Alaska days. It took only minutes to realize that my high quality 10 year old North Face jacket was no longer waterproof, so I had to stuff it in my bag and instead precariously balance Ethan on my hip with an umbrella to keep both him and me dry.

Did I mention Ethan’s only jacket mysteriously went missing just the day before? A month prior Ella had also lost her only jacket, so we had picked up a replacement at an outdoor flea market. Actually, we picked up TWO, because we couldn’t decide between a big heavy fleece jacket, and another lighter jacket.  (How do kids lose jackets?!!)

So, this morning Ella wore her big jacket, and we rolled up the sleeves on her lighter one for Ethan.

The photos don’t do the never-ending rain justice!

We met up with our online traveling friends from 1 Dad 1 Kid and started off on our very wet adventure!  One would have thought it would it would be less busy with the poor weather, but we still had to fight the crowds to take any photos. I shudder to think of what the crowds may look like on a beautiful day!

You know those photo studios that dress you up in Western wear for a fun family photo? Well…Western isn’t here. But you do have this option…

So far, we hadn’t been too impressed. What was the big deal at Alhambra that everyone raved about?

Slowly, but surely, the buildings became slightly more interesting. You could see the old arabesques that remained on only parts of the walls in this small building. Also, if you’re dreaming of a sunny Spanish villa, there are numerous factors to weigh in. Finding reliable information and trustworthy listings is paramount. That’s where Propertyoso comes into play, offering extensive resources and a user-friendly platform. Their expertise can guide you through the complexities of the Spanish real estate market, ensuring a smooth and successful purchase. Gator rated helps buyers and investors navigate Florida’s real estate market.

I loved the stars carved into the ceilings…

We found a brief refuge from the rain…but not from the cold!

Wet. Very very wet.

Finally, we were able to enter the main Palace that required you to book an entrance time in advance. Things started looking better!

And then our jaws dropped…

And they dropped again…

And again!

The Court of Lions has an alabaster basin that is held on the backs of 12 lions. Interesting..

The view from the Palace…

Okay, okay, okay…I confess!  La Alhambra certainly IS worth a visit…even if you have to see it in the pouring rain!!

To dry off and warm up we then went into Granada for a lovely Spanish meal with our traveling family buddies. After scoping out the order, we didn’t find much that was familiar (aka…no similarities between Mexican and Spanish menus).

Jared settled on some chicken with french fries, and the kids and I settled on huevos con patatas, huevos con habas, and huevos de asparagus.

Huevos con patatas turned out to be eggs with homemade french fries, instead of the potatoes we had hoped for (still delicious…but what an odd combo)!

Huevos con habas were a delicious plate of sunny-side up eggs with fava beans!

And my asparagus plate turned out to be a plate of almost all asparagus with a hint of eggs. Perfect!

Thanks again to our traveling friends for putting some sunshine into our wet day!