Granada: Alhambra & A Lotta Exploring with Pups

Hugo & Reynolds here!!!!

So guess what happened- our landlord, Señora Julia, told Mom and Dad she was going to fumigate the house for bugs. We have seen WAY too many ants around our food and water bowls, and Mom and Dad are sick of finding dead bugs in the upstairs bathroom...so Señora Julia scheduled for the bug-men to come spray on Saturday. Once the bug-men spray the house, none of us can be inside the house for at least 12 hours, including Reynolds and I. (hint the "fumes" in fumigation.)

So you know what that means?! That was an excuse for Mom to plan a weekend road trip that included Sis and I!!! With not much time to plan, Mom checked her Google Map filled with pins of places she wants to visit and she landed on Granada!

A 3.5-hour drive northeast of Rota, Granada is home to Spain's #2 most-visited monument: Alhambra. While dogs aren't welcomed there (what the heck Spain!?!) the rest of the city is pretty dog-friendly. After tossing one of their backpacks with weekend clothes and one travel kennel (again, what the heck?! Why do we need that thing again?! We are still traumatized from our last kennel experience...) in the car we hit the road for a nice road trip through Spain's mountainous southern coast!

Did you spot that white village with the cathedral and castle ruins that we drove by?! Mom says we are definitely visiting there in the fall, once the temps lower some. (I'm still not clear on if the "we" included Hugo and I, but I'm hopeful!)

Once we got to Granada, Dad had a stressful time finding the AirBnB parking lot. Then we found it and it was TIGHT. Thankfully our AirBnB host met us at the parking lot and he offered to park the car for Dad...now whether it embarrassed him more to be asked or relieved his nerves about having to park himself, I'm not sure. But what I AM sure of is that I did NOT like that Dad kicked us out of the car and made us stand with Mom while he helped the guy complete the 47-point turn into the tiny lot.

One way or another, they got the car parked and then Dad enjoyed carrying our kennel the 500 meters to our AirBnB while Hugo and I got to smell all the Spanish street smells! We were also a huge hit in the streets- apparently, these people have never seen such cute dogs before because they all smiled and waved at us!

Once we got checked in to our AirBnB, Mom and Dad locked us in the kennel and left us so they could find dinner!!

While they enjoyed local tapas and Tinto de Verano at Rosario Varela, Hugo Houdini-ed us out of the kennel! I knew having a big brother who hates a kennel would come in handy! He popped open the door and, while Mom and Dad were enjoying their dinner & drinks, Hugo and I had a full run of the apartment!

Sis is telling all my secrets! Yes, I broke us free from the horrible cage of anxiety, but Reynolds and I were so well-behaved hoping it would prove to Mom and Dad that we could handle free reign the next time they had to leave us.

After a good night's rest, we started Saturday morning with a nice uphill walk to Puerta de las Granadas, where sissy found her favorite potty spot. Nothing beats peeing alongside a 16th-century gate to Alhambra!

Then Mom and Dad locked us up AGAIN, but this time Mom used zip ties....no chance of breaking free this time around. They were nice enough to pack a box fan so we had cool air blowing on us the entire afternoon. Then they headed out for a delicious brunch at Coffee Café & Bar, where Dad made an Egg and Bacon breakfast sandwich and Mom enjoyed a ham & cheese croissant!

After climbing the steep path under Puerta de las Granadas, Mom and Dad made it to the Alhambra! Alhambra is the largest political and aristocratic center of the Muslim West and was built between 1238 and 1358 back during the Naṣrid Dynasty, when Muslim rulers from Africa governed the now-Spainish lands. Alhambra was originally built as a fortress to house the ruling family.

Once Spain united the country in the 16th century and pushed out the Muslim rulers, Charles the V saw the beauty of Ahambra and decided to add his mark. Thus, he built the Palace of Charles V, which paid homage to Roman structures of the time.

With the heat bearing down on them (and sis and I still locked in the zip-tied kennel,) Mom and Dad headed to the far sides of the premises to explore the Alhambra Gardens. The Generalife area is known worldwide as one of the earliest signs of agricultural infrastructure dating back to the 12th & 13th century Moors. In less words, the Muslim rulers in the earliest days of Alhambra had developed water systems and hydraulics to develop some of the most pristine gardens in the middle of a pretty dry landscape!

Mom and Dad found the gardens beautiful and they kept talking about how much Nona and Papa (aka Jennifer and Kevin) would love this place! Mom and Dad also learned that the gardens also housed the servant quarters and could spot some archaeological sites where history is still being discovered to this day!

As they made their way back towards the main structures, Mom and Dad visited some shops, meaning Mom wanted to shop and Dad didn't want to tell her no. But it worked out because they found a pin to add to the pinboard!

Next up on their day tour at Alhambra was the Nasrid Palaces, where Mom couldn't take enough pictures of the stunning mosaic tilework. From the floors to the walls, the Nasrid Palace was filled with colorful hand-placed tilework that was truly breathtaking (so she says!) The ceilings were also hand carved from wood- one ceiling piece consisted of over 8,000 pieces of wood just to make the star portions of the ceiling design.

To say this place was a work of art is an understatement. Everything was designed with such detail and purpose, even Dad enjoyed the artistic touches! (Ok maybe he enjoyed the shaded and cooler space, but he says it was a pretty cool sight too!)

Inside the Nasrid Palaces is the area's iconic fountain, Fuente de los Leones (Fountain of Lions.) These 12 lions surrounding the fountain represent courage and strength and are a physical reminder of the timeless beauty of preserving these ancient relics.

Farther into the Nasrid Palaces was the Patio de los Arrayanes (Court of the Myrtles), where Mom and Dad saw a stunning reflection pool surrounded by Myrtle bushes. The deep green bushes beside the stark white pillars of the palace complemented each other and provided a beautiful view.

Ok, maybe it was worth Mom and Dad locking us up so they could see this beautiful place.

Speak for yourself sissy! Nothing is worth the kennel!!!

stalactite work

Before hitting up the final part of their tour, it was time for an icee break in the shade, and you know Mom was happy to see freshly-squeezed, very tart lemon slushies as an option! You know the only thing that would have made that slushie better? Me cleaning up the drips...but it's ok. I'm still just crammed in the kennel with a brother who thinks he's going to die in this cage! No biggie.

The last area of Alhambra was the Alcazaba, which showcased the remains of the ancient fortress that guarded the Moorish rulers during the 12th and 13th centuries. While the "remains" weren't nearly as impressive as the Nasrid Palaces, Dad really enjoyed the views from the fortress towers overlooking the city!

As Mom and Dad headed back down the steep hill to rescue Sis and I from the evil kennel, they rinsed their hands in another famous fountain etched with three sea dragons. The imagery reminded them of their Asia travels!

Finally in the shaded decline back into Granada's city, Mom had to stop for a picture with the Washington Irving statue. Back in 1829, Washington Irving lived in Alhambra for three months, when it was open to the public and home to local vagabonds.

During this time, the famous author of Rip Van Wrinkle & The Legends of Sleepy Hollow fell in love with the area and the story behind Alhambra. As a result, he wrote the book Tales of the Alhambra, which swept across Europe and brought tourism to the area. As a result, the Granada people erected a statue in Irving's honor thanking him for his words that led to the rise in European- Moorish interest in the Alhambra palace grounds!

Pretty close to our AirBnB, Mom and Dad hit a few more shops on their way back to us! Mom even did some shopping!

But finally, they freed us from our prison!! With the temperatures hitting 98, Mom and Dad were happy to spend a few hours in the AC with us recouping before their dinner reservation!

Yes, you read that right, Mom and Dad stuck me back in the kennel with Hugo so they could go out to a pretty fancy dinner without us. Apparently, pups weren't welcomed and Mom did a poor job of planning around us.

ANYWAY, they went to Restaurante Carmen El Agua, where they enjoyed a delicious dinner with a stunning backdrop! The samosas were killer, Dad loved his dessert cake, Mom's rack of lamb was BOMB and Dad's Japanese-inspired steak was a cool experience but not as tasty... but he agreed he would 100% eat it again if it meant he could enjoy a meal with this view of Alhambra.

When Sis says Dad's steak was a whole experience, she wasn't kidding! Just look at this:

And you know Mom was dying over the view. I mean, she took like 10 photos of the Alhambra as the sun set throughout their meal. It's a pretty cool compilation if you ask me!

Wow! With a view like that, two hours flew by (well for them, Hugo would argue it was quite long) but Mom and Dad said the 3-course meal was well worth the memories they made!

Feeling a little guilty for locking us up (yep, I used those puppy-dog eyes to guilt them) Mom and Dad took us on a night tour of the sidestreets of Granada! Getting out in the cooler temperatures to sniff everything made this trip worth it!

After another night of puppy snuggles in the strange apartment, Mom and Dad started our final day of the trip with a morning walk into downtown Granada! Mom said she needed coffee in preparation for our ride home, so Dad stood outside with us while Mom picked up coffee AND she came out with the Spain Starbucks cup! She tricked Dad into a little gift for herself, but she smoothed it over with a nice coffee frappuccino in hand for Dad.

Our mom knows how to get what she wants!

While she was inside picking out her cup, Dad had to deal with sissy acting a fool when a dogwalker came by with like 6 dog-friends! Sissy forgot all her manners and scared off the dogs. I think they just didn't understand her English barks.... because you know Spanish dogs bark funny- they have a strange accent sissy and I can't understand! But barking barrier aside, Dad was embarrassed!

The last stop on our Granada walking tour was Plaza Isabel La Católica, a memorial of Queen Isabella and Christopher Colombus at the signing of the Capitulation of Santa Fé. On April 17, 1492, here in Santa Fe, Granada, Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon signed the famous document approving Colombus' venture to find a quicker route to India (and we all know what came from that document signing!)

You may remember Mom and Dad have visited one other famous place that Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand visited back in our hometown of Rota! Who would have known that two dogs from Eastern North Carolina would get to see so much world history!?!

At this point, it was time to head back and check out of our AirBnB! Dad enjoyed another 500-meter walk carrying our kennel; Mom thought he looked so funny, she needed a picture! Then we watched as Dad helped our AirBnB host get our car out of the parking lot with another impressive 47-point turn!

Then it was time for another good 3.5-hour nap, I mean ride home! While Hugo and I may have slept most of the way, Mom and Dad enjoyed the quiet ride by talking about future travel plans and enjoying the scenery!

Well, I can honestly say this weekend was one of the best weekends ever! It's not often Hugo and I get to go on a trip with Mom and Dad! I'm just hoping those ants stick around so we can do this all again!

Ignore sissy. We don't want ants. But I'm also down for another great trip with Mom and Dad!

Wags and Kisses!

Hugo & Reynolds