11/23: Granada's Albayzin Amble & Stunning Basilica!

Yesterday we'd hiked up to the Alhambra, Granada's most famous sight. Today, we were hiking the opposite direction toward the Albayzin, Spain’s best old Moorish quarter.

From the Plaza Nueva, Granada's central square, we followed a narrow lane called the Paseo de los Tristes or Walk of the Sad Ones, as funeral processions made their way along it to the cemetery at the edge of town. The lane bordered the Darro River which flowed around the base of the Alhambra. You may remember my mentioning in a previous post that six miles upstream, part of the Darro was diverted to provide water for the Alhambra's many fountains. Along the lane were two picturesque stone bridges just wide enough for a few pedestrians at a time. 

We stopped for a few moments to look at Santa Catalina de Zafra, a convent of cloistered nuns that worshipped behind a screen that divided the church in half. Just like some of the churches we'd visited in Madrid a few weeks ago previously, these nuns also sold baked goods, known as dulces, from a lazy Susan so they couldn't be seen.

We sure got our hearts going with the steep walk up toward the San Nicolas lookout. Travel writer Rick Steves describes San Nicholas as one of Europe’s most romantic viewpoints, especially at sunset when the Alhambra glows red.

We didn’t see that as it was only the morning and overcast as par for the course, it seemed! Still the views of the Alhambra in the distance were super. When we’d been at the Alhambra the previous morning, we’d made a point of searching out the viewpoint so it was special, now being there and looking back to the Moorish palace!

I read that President Clinton brought his family here in 1997 as it had been a favorite spot from a trip he’d made when he was a student. Generations of visitors have come to this spot so Clinton’s stop was hardly an original idea.

Even though it was overcast, the views in the distance of the Alhambra and the far flung city were still good and reminded us of the great time we'd had visiting the amazing Alhambra.

What a shame, though, fog or low-lying clouds partially obscured our view of the former Sultan's Summer Palace, aka the Generalife, we'd also toured just the day before.

If the weather had been better, how perfect it would have been to cuddle on one of the benches and just take in the amazing scene atop the lookout.

The Great Mosque of Granada, next to the viewpoint, fulfilled the religious needs of the city's Muslim population which numbered about 8 percent. It was built in 2003 with donations from the local community and Islamic Arab nations. Steven and I have been lucky enough to tour the interiors of many mosques in foreign lands, but visitors were only welcome in the peaceful courtyard at Granada's mosque.

While tourists come to Granada to learn about the city’s complex cultural history, I learned that local Muslims felt it was important to stress that, from their perspective, Muslims are as indigenous as any other cultural group in Spain. After living here for over 700 years, Granada’s Muslims were as Iberian as any modern Spaniard today. For the Muslims, Islam wasn’t a religion of immigrants, nor a culture of the Arabian Middle East. It was important to remember that ‘Arab’ and ‘Muslim’ weren’t interchangeable terms.

For some people, especially Christians, the Reconquista might be perceived as the ‘liberation’ of Spain but for Muslims, it was a brutal experience when tens of thousands of their people were forcibly expelled and many more endured forced conversion in the 16th century.

From the mosque, it was fun following the stepped street past Moroccan eateries, pastry shops, halal butchers and Moorish tea rooms known as teterias. The profusion of flower-filled pots reminded of all those we had been taken with in Cordoba a few days earlier.

The 11th century New Gate in the Albayzin neighborhood was older even than the Alhambra. 

The gate took us into Plaza Larga, named because during medieval times this tiny square that served as the local marketplace was long.

From the square we looked up a street that showed evidence of the Moorish plumbing system with gutters! According to Steves, back when the rest of Europe’s streets were filled with muck, Granada actually had Roman Empire-style gutters with drains leading to clay and lead pipes. 

I was a little surprised to see a small grocery advertising natural foods.

We were in the heart of the Albayzin where there were no particular sights to see but a perfect area to explore the narrow lanes.

I loved wandering through the atmospheric old squares and especially seeing their interesting mosaic patterns.

It was funny seeing the Domino’s Pizza flyer in the door as it was about the last thing I'd expected!

Quite a few homes in the neighborhood had pretty decorative plates on the walls.

The Church of El Salvador, located where Albayzin's main mosque once stood, was established in 1527 with the aim of indoctrinating the Moorish Muslim population after the Reconquista. It and the district’s other old churches were intentionally plain so they’d be more palatable for the Muslim converts who weren’t used to being surrounded by images when they worshipped. 

The cherry red door stood out amid all the white walls and buildings in the district. 

Another view of the distant Alhambra:

The Carmen of Geraniums/House of Max Moreau belonged to a Belgian artist of the same name who lived here for more than thirty years. After his death in 1992, all his possessions were donated to the City Council who turned it into a museum six years later. In keeping with the 'Carmen' style, the house consisted of the home, orchard and garden, and three separate buildings, each connected by courtyards. 

The Monastery of Santa Isabel La Real, founded by Queen Isabella, was dedicated to the poor nuns of the Order of Saint Clare and is still the most outstanding women's religious seclusion convent remaining in Granada. 

Throughout the period from the 16th to the 18th centuries, hospital charities funded by the aristocracy were common. The Hospital of the Virgin of Pilar, dedicated to curing ringworm, was founded in 1662 on top of the palace, where in 1487, the former Muslim Moorish king Boabdil had been declared King of Granada for the second time. The former columns and reflecting pool we viewed in the courtyard were from that period.

So many of the streets in the neighborhood were so very narrow, I held my breath thinking, surely, the driver would never make it!  He did, albeit with inches only to spare.

The simple Church of San Miguel Bajo led into the small square called Placita San Miguel de Bajo. I could just imagine how ideal a spot the square would be to sit a spell on a sunny day.

A two minute walk away was another lookout, Mirador de la Luna. In the second photo, you'll see the impressive Basilica de los Dios, our next and final stop in grand Granada.

Leaving the Albayzin we made our way down the steep hills to the city again, a far more relaxing stroll than our earlier walk uphill!

The lanes in the ancient kasbah had small souvenir shops, one after another all selling leather goods, magnets and pretty tiles, but for once, we didn't dawdle long as we more interested in going to the Basilica.

The Basilica of John of God was dedicated to the patron saint of Granada, a Portuguese founder of the still active Brothers Hospitallers Order. Built between 1737 and 1759, the hospital next door was also an extension of that religious order as caring for the ill was his most important work. We were excited to explore its interior because of its dome covered with white and green tiles. 

Wasn't its courtyard absolutely charming?!

As we ascended the stairs to the Basilica's sights, the beautiful wall tiles were a complete delight and made for one of the most compelling entrances imaginable. We kept wondering what we might see just ahead, and when we might view the actual church as we'd never spent so much time in a church without actually seeing it yet!

This was our first glimpse of the actual basilica - OMG was all we could mouth, at seeing how ornate it was, before the tour took us to more interior rooms.

It seemed that no expense or detail was spared as even the railings were made of walnut and cedar. The black marble inlays in the columns came from the Sierra Nevada mountains!

Once we reached another level, we viewed a private chapel with an altar whose doors opened and closed and had drawers to store items.

Everywhere we looked, there was something more to admire. I was sure, though, that, if we were ever were to go to the Basilica again, there would be so much we'd see for the first time as there was so much to take in. The small sculpture of Mary came from the 16th century.

Two magnificent paintings by artist, and Granada local, Alonzo Cano, graced the walls as we ascended even more stairs

More divine details in the stairway to heaven, no, just to the basilica!

My head was beginning to spin - there was so much to see in the next space. The standing vases were Chinese. The ceiling decoration was pretty darn impressive, too!

The embossed silver statues represented the Apostles. The urn in the center had been crafted by an Italian artist.

Though we'd already viewed hints of the gold decor, this room took my breath away with its opulence and attention to detail.

We didn't realize right then what we were seeing when we looked down onto another spectacularly opulent chamber. There was just a dazzling array of carvings to ogle!

I felt like we were in the most ornate of theaters with a balcony across the way. It certainly didn't seem like a place of worship then!

A statue of Our Lady of Peace was featured on a landing as we began going down the stairs.

These were known as the Stairs of the Rectors because the rectors used to walk down these steps as you might have guessed without the explanation!

Just below the cherub was the walking stick that belonged to John of God, after whom the church was named and dedicated.

More personal items belonging to John of God:

What wasn't made clear before was that the space we'd seen while upstairs was the altar!

This had to have been the first time we’d toured any church where the tour took visitors directly onto the altar. I felt, after years of strict Catholic upbringing, it was almost sacrilegious being there especially as a tourist. I didn't feel very comfortable wanting to take my time and take it all in. I could only think of my father, one of the most fervent people I've known, and what he might have thought if he, too, had come to the basilica. 

On the Altar of St. John of God, the Crown of Thorns on the head of St. John the Baptist was held by the eagle below it.

In the Sacristy three gilded mirrors had been placed over a massive solid mahogany chest. The room, used by priests to prepare for Mass, also held personal items donated by Pope John Paul II.

The sink was made of jasper, something that was new for me.

A view from the altar of the balcony where we’d stood earlier:

In order to really see the altar rather than simply a mass of gold and no details, visitors had to periodically put euros into a box to illuminate the altar! The difference was profound once the light revealed the stunning altar and the other levels of the basilica where we'd just walked.

The church's exterior hadn't been particularly special, but the interior was truly magnificent with all its splendor. It had to be the most richly decorated church we've ever seen. I normally don't like such opulence in a place of worship but the basilica had far more than just its profusion of gold with its many statues, paintings, angels and exquisite tiles, that those were my takeaways.

Last year we celebrated Thanksgiving in Santiago, Chile, at a Chinese restaurant and we wanted to continue the brief tradition alive by going to another one this year. We had so hoped to find a Chinese restaurant in Granada but none were open in our 30 minute walk back toward our hotel. Luckily, we found a restaurant in the square right by our hotel that had one table available and we grabbed it! We were delighted when our waiter surprised us with a plate of pork marinated in mustard tapas on the house. 

I ordered chicken kebabs and just about fell out of my chair when my dish arrived as I'd never been served kebabs like that before! Steven's hamburger came with a fried egg that looked like a flat pancake served on the burger! He liked it but I was very glad I hadn't also ordered a burger.

We'd had a 'grand' time in Granada with our long but fascinating visit to the ancient Alhambra Moorish palace and to the distinctly Moorish Albayzin neighborhood. I hope the last couple of posts might entice you to also visit this wonderful region of southern Spain.

Next post: Onto the Spanish White Hill town of Ronda.

Posted on February 6th, 2019, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where I was lucky enough to attend a celebration where our youngest child received a national award and on his birthday, too!