We docked in the Malaga harbour at 7am, before the sun rose, after a smooth cruise overnight. We had to be ready to depart for our excursion to Granada/Alhambra by 7:45am, which is unusually early for us cruisers! Nevertheless, we made it on time and were wisked away on a 2 hour bus ride from the Malaga port to Granada. The weather was cool with a sunny, cloudless day. It was about 11C when we left the ship and it "warmed up" to about 15C in Granada, which is at an altitude of about 1,000 meters above sea level. The route took us out of Malaga, climbing all the time up to a mountain pass, then down into a broad valley with many olive tree farms. There is a good underground supply of water and our guide told us that there are other crops grown here as well, such as wheat, barley, oats and artichokes.
Most astonishing to me was the huge Sierra Nevada mountain range behind the city that is covered with snow and rises to 3,487 meters (over 11,000 ft). We could see the shimmering snow fields where there is a large ski complex with 100km of runs! The Sierra Nevada is the highest mountain range in Spain; the melting snow contributes to the good water supply for the city of 300,000 and also adds to the tourist attraction of the area (skiing is a 30 minute drive from Granada).
The bus took us through Granada, then climbed a steep road up a mountain where the old Islamic fort of Alhambra is located. This is the best remnants of Moorish architecture left in Europe. Over 22 kings ruled from here over an 800 year period, building palaces and residences of unsurpassed beauty. Ferdinand & Isabella lead the final campaign to push the Moors out of Spain and restore Catholism to all of the Iberian peninsula. Ironically, Alhambra remains the most popular heritage tourist attraction in Spain. We were joined by a trilingual guide who took us on a 2.5 hour walking tour of Alhambra; his German & English were very good and he had a very good knowledge of the history and art of Alhambra. He told me that he had to take a 3 year course in art history and pass exams to demonstrate his fluency in 2 foreign languages to get his job. Being spring time, most of the flowers had not bloomed yet, but there were a few purple irises, daffodils, rosemary and lavender. The rose bushes had started to grown green sprouts and one magnolia tree was in full bloom. The area is very dry and with the bright sun, there were interesting, sharp shadows amongst the buildings and their decorations.
After our tour, we walked up a hill to a hotel where a buffet lunch awaited us. We sat with a couple from Memphis and compared our cruising experiences. Chris is an active cyclist and said he had observed me in the fitness centre on the ship. Interestingly, we both have acquired the cough and associated tiredness that seems to be going through the ship's passengers. (Ann has managed to avoid getting sick). To try to get over this cough as quickly as possible, we were lucky to be at sea yesterday and I did nothing but relax (and eat, of course).
We boarded our bus at 2:30pm for the 2 hour ride back to the ship. The valley we travelled along was sunny and relatively warm. We could see a few clouds along the ridge of mountains that runs parallel to the coast. After we climbed over the pass towards Malaga, and descended towards the port, we could see that the air was hazy - not the crystal clear air in the valley. As we got off the bus at the ship, I was immediately struck by how much cooler it was - probably about 12C - compared to Granada.
We concluded that today's excursion was our best one yet. The setting of Alhambra is stunning, with the snow capped Sierra Nevada range behind it, and the beauty of its buildings and gardens breathtaking.
We are now back on board and heading east for 260 miles to Alicante where we will arrive at 9am tomorrow.
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