Granada

On Monday I took my students to Granada, whose main attraction is without a doubt the Alhambra, the spectacular Moorish palace-city overlooking the "modern" city. Millions of tourists visit the Alhambra every year and its popularity has created a rather amazing cash machine for the Andalusian government. There is certainly funding available now for the site's upkeep and for ongoing restoration work and new archeological digs. It was funny to recall my first visit to Granada in 1979 when I could wander the grounds of the Alhambra with very little company. That's completely impossible these days, when you are constantly surrounded by large groups. Every time I go to the Alhambra I learn something new, and on this visit, with an excellent guide, I learned something about the extent of the destruction that took place during Napoleon's invasion in the early 19th century. In addition to the Alhambra, we also visited the cathedral and the royal chapel, where Ferdinand and Isabelle are buried along with their daughter Juana, her brother who died as a young child, and Juana's ill-fated husband, Philip El hermoso. We also took a walk through the Albaicín neighborhood and had free time to wander around downtown. The past couple of days have been extremely busy, mainly just trying to keep abreast of lots of little tasks that need to be accomplished.