Day 30: Plan Nothing, Enjoy Everything

Day 30

Granada was the least planned portion of my vacation and it was my favorite part. I decided to visit Granada when I was in Madrid. Booking only a hostel, I arrived in Granada with a hope of seeing the Alhambra, a beautiful Islamic palace with a fortress and gardens. General admission tickets and the more expensive guided tours were sold out online. A select number of tickets are held for sale every day. When a hostel mate said they planned to wake up at 5:30am to stand in line for tickets, I asked to join.

Four of us left the hostel at 6:15am and lined up at 6:45am to wait for the box office to open at 8am.  Seeing the entire Alhambra takes about four hours. I love symmetry so I loved the palace. It was the Islamic artitecture I had hoped to see but did not see during my Morocco tour. The details are amazing and everything is beautiful. I was so happy to have people to share the experience.

Although traveling solo has its advantages, I like sharing experiences with people. Being spontaneous allowed me to do so. If I had been able to purchase tickets before Granada, I would have gone alone. Instead, I met people at the hostel and we spent the entire day together.

After lunch we walked along the water and up to the caves where gypsies live.  The path is hilly, gravely, and not apparent. I would not have done or found that walk on my own. The view at the top was amazing. MJ pointed out graffiti that stated "el mundo todos a los pies", the world is at our feet. The view caused B to blurt out "It's a good thing that none of us had our shit together." I agree.

Granada, as viewed from the Alhambra

What has been your experiences with hostels, good or bad?