Una mesa para seis - Table for Six: Andalusia Day 5

We heard that you need to book tickets far in advance if you want to visit the Nasrid Palaces in the Alhambra. So as soon as we booked our train tickets back in the beginning of November, I went online to try and buy passes (horrible website by the way). All the dates we were in Andalusia were sold out. Not wanting to pass up the opportunity to visit the Palaces I decided to buy Granada Tourist Cards because there are some entrances to the Nasrid Palaces reserved for card holders. Here is the website for the Granada Card http://granadatur.com/en/uplevel-menu/granada-card/what-does-it-include/. Definitely more expensive, but if you are spending a few days in Granada it is probably worth it as it includes entrance to many of the major attractions.

Granada was about 1.5 hour drive from Casabermeja. We got to the Alhambra about 45min before our appointment to see the Nasrid Palaces. What we first noticed was that it was significantly colder than Málaga. It felt like the temperature was below zero. We had told the kids to dress warmly, but their concept of dressing warmly is usually a t-shirt and a hoodie. First we walked through the Generalife which has a very large garden that would probably be really beautiful in the Spring or Summer. Then we made our way to the Nasrid Palaces for our 11am appointment. Even with an appointment, you still have to line up and wait to get in. We stood in line for about 30 minutes and we were freezing.

It is still very cold inside the Nasrid Palaces so the kids were anxious to go through as quickly as possible so that they could find somewhere to warm up. In the Nasrid Palaces, I really wished that I had a better camera and that I was a better photographer because the detail on the walls and ceiling is amazing, and my pictures definitely don't really do it justice.

After going through the Nasrid Palaces the kids were ready to leave, but Bob was able to convince them to keep going. There is a lot to see at the Alhambra. We visited the Palacio de Carlos V, and inside is the Alhambra museum which is really interesting and it was warm. There is also an art gallery with a temporary exhibit. We visited the Alcazaba which is a really impressive fort and from the top of the tower, we got a great view of the city of Granada and Sierra Nevada mountains.

After we had seen pretty much everything at the Alhambra, we headed over to the Parque de las ciencias (science park) in Granada. Entrance was included with our Granada Card. Ciara will tell you that the Parque de las ciencias was her favourite part of the trip. All the kids really enjoyed themselves and Bob thought that it was the best science museum for kids that we have been to, and we have been to a lot of science museums. Parque de las ciencias is a huge complex with several different buildings and tons of interactive displays inside and out. We spent over 3 hours there and the kids probably could have stayed there all day.