UNLESS YOU ARE SATISFIED WITH VISITING THE HISTORIC AREAS AND NATURAL SPACES CLOSE TO WHERE YOU ARE STAYING, IT IS PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA TO GO ON ONE OF THE MANY ORGANISED EXCURSIONS AVAILABLE. IT IS A CHEAP AND POPULAR WAY IN WHICH TO GET OUT AND SEE THE MANY ATTRACTIONS IN OTHER TOWNS AND PROVINCES. PUBLIC TRANSPORT IS CHEAP AND EFFICIENT AND IF THE OPPORTUNITY PRESENTS ITSELF, YOU SHOULD EXPLORE SOME OF THE AREAS OF SPAIN.

GRANADA, ANCIENT AND MYSTERIOUS.

Granada was firts occupied by native tribes in the prehistoric period, and was known as llbyr. When the Romans colonised southern Spain, they built their own city here and called it lllibris.
The Arabs, invading the peninsula in the 8th century, gave it its current name of Granada. It was the last Muslim city to fall to the Christians in 1492, at the hands of Queen Isabel of Castile and her husband Ferdinand of Aragón.
One of the most brilliant jewels of universal architecture is the Alhambra, a series of palaces and gardens built under the Nazari Dynasty in the 14th C. This mighty compound of building - including the summer palace called Generalife, with its fountains and gardens - stands at the foot of Spain's highest mountain range, the Sierra Nevada, and overlooks the city below and the fertile plain of Granada.
At the centre of the Alhambra stands the massive Palace of Charles V, an outstanding example of Spanish Renaissance architecture. Other major Christian monuments found in the city are the Cathedral, including the Royal Chapel where Isabel and Ferdinand lie buried, the Monastery of La Cartuja and many churches built by Moorish craftsmen after the Reconquest, in Granada's unique "mudejar" style. The hill facing the Alhambra is the old Moorish casbah or "medina", called the Albaicín, a fascinating labyrinth of narrow streets and whitewashed houses with secluded inner gardens, known as "càrmenes". The Plaza de San Nicolas, at the highest point of the Albaicín, is famous for its magnificent view of the Moorish palace.
The Sacromonte hill, which overlooks the city from the North, is famous for its cave dwellings, once the home of Granada's large gypsy community.
The name Granada is ancient and mysterious. It may mean "great castle", for the Roman fortress which once stood on the Albaicín Hill. When the Moors came here, the town was largely inhabited by Jews, for which they called it Garnat-al-Yahud - Granada of the Jews. The Jews are said to have been one of the firts peoples to settle in Spain, even before the Romans.

ALHAMBRA

The name Alhambra comes from an Arabic root which means "red or crimson castle", perhaps due to the hue of the towers and walls that surround the entire hill of La Sabica which by starlight is silver but by sunlight is transformed into gold. But there is another more poetic version, evoked by the Moslem analysts who speak of the construction of the Alhambra fortress "by the light of torches", the reflections of which gave the walls their particular coloration. Created originally for military purposes, the Alhambra was an alcazaba (fortress), an alcázar (palace) and a small medina (city), all in one. This triple character helps to explain many distinctive features of the monuments.
There is no reference to the Alhambra as being a residence of kings until the 13th century, even though the fortress had existed since the 9th century. The firts kings of Granada, the Zirites, had their castles and palaces on the hill of the Albaicín, and nothing remains of them. The Nasrites were probably the emirs who built the Alhambra, starting in 1238.

The founder of the dynasty, Muhammed Al-Ahmar, began with the restoration of the fortress. His work was completed by his son Muhammed II, whose immediate successors continued with the repairs. The construction of the palaces (called Casa Real Vieja, "old Royal House or Palace") dates back to the 14th century and is the work of two great kings: Yusuf I and Muhammed V. To the firts we owe, among others, the Cuarto de Comares (Chamber of Comares), the Puerta de la Justicia (Gate of Justice), the Baths and some towers. His son, Muhammed V, completed the beautification of the palaces with the Cuarto de los Leones (Chamber of the Lions), as well as other rooms and fortifications. The Alhambra became a Christian court in 1492 when the Catholic Monarchs (Ferdinand and Isabel) conquered the city of Granada. Later, various structures were built for prominent civilians also military garrisons, a church and a Franciscan monastery.

EMPEROR CHARLES V
Emperor Charles V, who spent several months in Granada, began the construction of the palace which bears his name and made some alterations to the interior buildings. These measures were to cause interminable controversy often motivated by political agendas. The remaining Austrian kings did not forget the monument and have left their own more discreet impressions on it.

SIERRA NEVADA
This is the southern most ski station in Europe and is otherwise known as "Solynieve" (sun and snow) precisely because you can go skiing and enjoy great weather at the same time. It has over fifty kilometres of slopes with innumerable routes and difficulties. In spring it is quite possible to spend half the day sunbathing on the beach and the other half skiing on the slopes. Outside of the ski season, the National Park has an incredible botanical diversity. In the southern areas there are the Alpujarras, vry picturesque white villages that cling to the hillsides. These attract lots of visitors.