Ok, so this may not be the easiest way to travel, but it sure makes for one original ride!
There’s no better way to see a destination than by getting around the ‘local’ way, and there are a whole range of sensational rides that let you soak up the scenery AND get around on holiday. Forget planes, trains and automobiles or a gentle bicycle ride, we’re talking about an adventure for thrill-seekers, from hot air balloon rides to bizarre boat trips.
Here are the top ten most unusual and sensational rides out there, guaranteed to put your Monday morning commute to shame. But buckle up, these are some wacky ways to travel!
Taking ‘drink-driving’ to a whole new level….They may have been banned ( for having too much fun?) in July 2008, but the Beer Bicycle is back on the road again for a guzzling good time in Holland.
Rent this Amsterdam Bicycle and up to 22 revelers can ride around the city on this bike-cum-bar, seeing the historic streets and scenic canals, with a pint of the local brew to toast you along the way. With a free driver, beer and a booming stereo included in the price, you don’t have to worry about driving under the ‘influence’ around this party-loving city.
Tricycle Ride in the Philippines
This isn’t your average tricycle for toddlers, but a three-wheel mini car. Tricycles are as common as Jeepneys in the Philippines, but a little bit safer – the pickpockets can’t get at your cash when you’re whizzing past! Each tricycle carries up to five without luggage, and two with heavy backpacks. Part of the fun is picking up other passengers along the way!
Traveler Max Erraouhi offers us his tips for taking a tricycle from Manila to Boracay:
‘It is very common for tourists to get ripped off, so tell the driver the destination, and ask for prices before you jump in. On the Islands you should pay a flat rate from airport to port or hotel, but distances are so short, never pay more than 100 pesos. Make sure you don’t have any valuables in your pockets (in case anything falls out) and hang on tight – with no seatbelts, you’re in for a bumpy ride!’
The Coco Taxi in Cuba
If you’re ever in Cuba, make sure you take the three-wheeled Coco Taxi to get around Havana’s hectic streets, named ‘Coco’ because it resembles a ‘Coconut’ in shape! They may look cute but these little scooters zip around the city. Prices should always be charged per ride, not per person, so ask before you get in- but the drivers are usually very honest. It will cost you around 7 or 8 pesos depending on how far you travel.
The best places to go dog sledding are on the snow covered plains of Alaska and Canada, where experienced ’sledders’ will drive you on a sleigh pulled by huskies through the snow. Tours are offered all over Canada, and most take you along the lakeside scenery, with Bridge Lake in British Columbia, Lake Louise in Alberta, and Alongquin Park in Ontario.
Soak up the dramatic mountains and desolate landscape along the Kavik River in Alaska, while you sit back in a sleigh, but wrap up warm – the cold wind feels even sharper when you’re racing along at a dog’s pace!
Camel Rides Across the Desert
Once you’ve mastered mounting a camel and sitting between its humps, it’s the best way to see the desert. For the real deal, head to Tunisia where you can trek on a camel across the Sahara.
In a long procession of about thirty others, you’re not the only novices wobbling in the saddle, and a tour guide leads you across the sand dunes, where you can dismount and watch the sun set. In Cairo, Egypt, there are hundreds of touts promising camel rides around the pyramids of Giza.
Be wary of dishonest guides who will lead you away from the main tourist area and force you to pay a princely sum to get down! Agree a price before you mount, and go in a group or tour party so you wont be led astray.
In Morocco it’s also best to ride a camel into the desert with an organized tour rather than the hop on and hop off rides in the tourist areas. Tours depart from Marrakech to the dunes of Merzouga.
Elephant Trekking in Thailand
Elephants are something of a national animal in Thailand, and feature heavily in local legends and folk tales. There are plenty of the graceful creatures wandering around in their natural habitat, but elephant trekking is a great way to explore Thailand’s lush jungles from on high.
The main tourist areas in Phuket and Pattaya are packed with short elephant tours, where two or three passengers are safely strapped in a wooden saddle and ride through a woodland trail. For a true trek in the jungle, Chiang Mai in the North of Thailand is the place to visit, where there are elephant training centers and camps. Make sure that on whatever tour you take, you are accompanied by a trained elephant handler.
You’ll really see the world from the giddy heights of a hot air balloon. There are hot air balloon festivals all over the globe, where the skies are packed with colorful balloons in all shapes and sizes, but the best way to start is to buy a ride with an experienced ‘pilot’, and marvel as they take you higher and higher.
In Melbourne, you can take a balloon ride at dawn over the scenic city, before flying over the lush vineyards and hills of the Yarra region, with kangaroos darting down below.
See Paris, the ‘city of lights’ from above, and the Eiffel Tower won’t seem so small! The smaller balloons are ideal for a romantic trip to the skies, taking place in a field 50km south of the city, with a champagne reception.
There are balloon rides offered all over the changeable landscape of the USA and snowy mountains in Canada, from the tropical Keys of Florida’s coast , to the desert plains and city lights of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Bangkok Boat Express
The easiest way to get around Bangkok is to take to the water and avoid the traffic-congested main streets. The Bangkok Boat Express runs along the Khlong Saen Saep river, with two lines that run past many of the busiest shopping streets.
Gab Le Gona, a recent visitor to Bangkok says, ‘The Bangkok Boat Express is the easiest, cheapest and fastest way to explore the city’
Cable Car in San Francisco
San Francisco is California’s coolest city, with its hippy heritage, vibrant gay community and multi-cultural residents. But it’s also home to some of the steepest hills we’ve ever seen, which take their toll on your feet after a hard days sightseeing. So thank the Golden Gate Bride that Cable Car is still around!
This quirky tram is an ‘experience’ in its own right – the San Francisco Cable car is iconic, and the three main routes snake through the city’s most interesting neighborhoods – bustling Chinatown, scenic Nob Hill and the bay at Fisherman’s Wharf. Tickets cost $3 for a single ride, but buy a pass if you’re planning on sightseeing across the city – a One Day Pass is $9, and allows unlimited rides on buses, street cars and cable cars.
The Wheels on the bus go round and round…and all night long on the London party bus, where from £25 per person you can party on board a traditional red double-decker bus.
The Party Bus rides through the streets of London, pumping out music, and you can pick from a range of themed ‘routes’, from a tour of London’s top clubs and bars to a 70s disco on board with fancy dress and food. Forget stumbling home after one too many, hop back to your London hostels from the Party Bus…
LS – Have you been on any original rides on your travels? Share your craziest trips with us below!
With the whole industry engrossed in the forthcoming Academy Awards, it seems a day doesn’t go by without a movie critic or two predicting a winner from this year’s elite group of Oscar nominees. And the recent close fought Baftas have only created a bigger buzz around 2009’s star films…
So what have the Academy Awards got to do with travel, I hear you ask? Well, the nominated films have been shot in some truly fantastic locations….
Embrace the spirit of the Oscars and experience these now immortalised destinations for yourself, or add them to your 2009 travel wishlist!
‘Australia’ – Australia
Baz Lurhman’s epic, set in the sprawling landscapes of rural Australia, perfectly captures the vast scale of an often unforgiving land. These amazing scenes are often overlooked by backpackers in Australia, who tend to stick to Sydney or cosmopolitan Melbourne during their visit. To experience the other side of the country which is drawn on by the film, head out of the cities to Watarrka National Park, home of the expansive plains of the Kings Canyon.
‘The Reader’ – Germany
The post-WWII film about truth, justice and reconciliation was shot in Berlin, with the set dominated by the city’s well-known architecture and enduring symbols of this contraversial period in German history. Visitors to the vibrant capital can still capture the essence of this rather grand past today, with the Reichstag building (and the panoramic views from its dome) at the fore.
‘Slumdog Millionaire’ – India
Filmed almost entirely on location in Mumbai, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ offers a rare insight into this most lively and colorful of cities. Aside from the more typically ‘Bollywood’ sequences, director Danny Boyle tries to dive into the heart of Mumbai through its slums. Wandering into their vast depths may not be the most sensible (or safe) idea for backpackers in Mumbai, but the stunning cinematography certainly inspires you to seek that off-the-beaten-track travel experience in India.
‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ – Spain
As the title suggests, Woody Allen’s latest movie is set in the Spanish city of Barcelona. With its stunning architecture, fashionable bars and boutiques, Barcelona is bursting with the chic culture that Europe is often seen to represent. From Gaudi to the Spanish guitar, the movie (if a little cliched at times) celebrates the glamor and exuberance of the city. You can’t get much better than a few days in Barcelona sight-seeing and drinking wine a la Vicky and Cristina…
‘In Bruges’ – Belgium
The painfully quaint architectue of the medieval city is the subject of much discussion in hit comedy ‘In Bruges’, with Colin Farrell’s character repeatedly calling it a “sh*thole”! Set against a dark storyline and sharp dialogue, the tranquil cobbled streets create a charming and inticing backdrop to this excellent film. Belgium is also famous for its great range of beers so there’s plenty to keep travelers entertained once the novelty of strolling along the romantic canals wears off.
Are you inspired to hit the road when you see a fantastic film? Where’s your favorite movie location? Let us know! Ed.
You don’t have to wander too far into Granada’s tangled web of crumbling streets to realize that it’s a city of graffiti. And one artist is largely responsible: the legendary El Niño de las Pinturas. His work can be found all over the web, whether it’s being analyzed in various articles (if you can speak Spanish) or Flickr pages in his honor.
But obviously it’s only on the streets of Granada, that you get to come face to face with the real thing. From tattoo parlors on Calle Molinos…
…you can hardly move without bumping into one his curious (haunting, even) works. Hunting for his handywork down dark alleyways, on the sides of abandoned houses or in the deserted plazas of the Realejo, both makes for a great way to explore the city, and another fantastic free thing to do in Granada in and of itself.
As to why Granada should have such a lot of really good, creative street art…? Well, it’s a beautiful, mystical sort of a place with a faintly mournful feel to it. And that’s always attracted a crowd of alternative types, hippies, artists, soul-searchers and assorted would-be bohemians stretching all the way back to Washington Irving.
Who, after all, wouldn’t be inspired by the spectacle of this Moorish gateway on Calle Elvira?
One of the things that makes Granada so special is the way in which its Moorish past is so evident, so tangible. And about halfway down the Carrera del Darro, where the lower Albazyin rolls down the hill to the river, is a case in point in El Bañuelo - the old Moorish baths. An 11th century bath house built during the reign of Ziri Badis, it’s one of the best preserved in Andalucia. It’s also – rather conveniently for the budget traveler – one of the best free things to do in Granada.
As you enter, the building immediately opens up onto a shady entrance courtyard (which for a sweaty HostelBloggers made a welcome break from the decidedly warm temperatures of the city outside!) with a pool at its center.
Leaving the patio through the tiny door in the far corner (which we duly smacked our head on), you come to the first of the baths’ rooms: the cool room or ‘Al-bayt al-barid’.
Passing through the cool room (with its starry ceiling)…
…you enter the next chamber – the main steam room or ‘Al-bayt al-wastani’.
The baths were once one of countless others that were dotted throughout the city, but which gradually, over time, slid into disuse and neglect. In the wake of the fall of the city to Christian forces – when Islamic customs like bathing were banned - the baths came to be used as a laundry by the women of the area.
Leaving the cool of the baths, and stepping out blinking into the bright sunlight, you’re confronted by the collapsed arch of a bridge. Tracing the curve that it once would have followed, it’s clear that it would have been quite a spectacle in its day. As with almost everywhere you turn in Granada – from the Alhambra on the hill, to the gardens of the Albayzin and the twisted alleyways of the Realejo - it’s impossible not to be struck by an acute sense of the scale and beauty of what once was.
Everyone, it seems, who’s ever been to Granada falls in love with the Albayzin. (HostelBloggers certainly did – utterly head over heels!) And it’s hardly surprising: a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s one of the most beautiful old quarters of any city in Europe. But just as surprising is how few travelers fall under the spell of – or indeed even really notice – the Realejo.
Over to the west of the city center, the Realejo is Granada’s ‘other’ historical quarter. And if it doesn’t (quite) have the outrageous charm of the Albayzin, it’s still a winding maze of narrow streets and time-worn old houses, convents and churches that’s great for exploring.
The best place to start a walk round the Realejo is probably at the crossroads of Calle Colchas and Calle Pavaneras. Here, a bronze statue of the great Jewish translator Yehuda Ibn Tibon stands, brandishing a parchment. It’s a symbolic place to begin because, just as the Albayzin was Granada’s Moorish neighborhood, so the Realejo used to be the home of the city’s Jewish population.
The Realejo stretches away to the statue’s left. And if – as was the case when HostelBloggers were in Granada - it’s summer or autumn, it will be with some relief that you scuttle out of the withering heat and down the narrow, shady Calle San Matias.
About halfway down Calle San Matias, turn right onto Escudo del Carmen and you enter one of the oldest parts of the Realejo. Here, the houses increasingly begin to lean in on themselves, almost shutting out the sunlight from above. If you take a left onto Calle Laurel de San Matias, you pass a handful of 16th century houses (their gorgeous courtyards, unfortunately, locked away behind private doors); turn left at the end of the street, and you start to double-back upon yourself.
Wandering through this part of the barrio, you see more evidence of the area’s ethnic roots. As is the case everywhere, it’s the tiny little historical details that tell the city’s story and now make it such a bewitching place for the traveler in Granada.
As you come out onto Calle San Matias again, you’re faced with the facade of the Church of San Matias. Around the right-hand side of it is a leafy little square – the Plaza Abside de San Matias – that makes a great place to sit in the shade and catch your breath before you crash on again.
If you leave the little square at its far left-hand corner and head to the end of the street, you come to another plaza: the striking Plaza Padre Suarez. From here, it’s just a quick right turn and a short stroll down Calle Escolastica to the tiny Bar Candela (No. 9, on the corner). Yet another of the many atmospheric tapas bars in Granada, it’s a perfect spot for a drink and a moment to take stock.
As well as being an attractive old quarter, like the Albayzin, the Realejo has a real sense of community. There are plenty of the sort of noisy cafes and spit and sawdust bars in which HostelBloggers feel most at home; old ladies shuffle about with their shopping carts, or talk – for what seems like days – in the butchers; mopeds snarl their way down narrow streets; dogs sit on doorsteps eyeing you with lazy suspicion…
It’s a proper neighborhood, in other words, and it’s that more than anything else that makes it one of the most interesting parts of Granada.
It’s hard to know quite what to make of Granada’s cathedral. A huge, slightly oppressive monument that looms over the lower part of the city, in spite of its fiddly Gothic twirls and (later) baroque flourishes, on the whole, it’s not a thing of great beauty.
Few would argue, though, that for scale – if nothing else – it’s pretty impressive!
Very occasionally you come across a place on your travels that seems to stand out from all the rest. That’s not to say it’s better per se (after all, how could you possible compare St. Paul’s Cathedral with the Iguazu Falls, or Angkor Wat with the Statue of Liberty?), just that you happen across it at the right time, and it stays in your memory for that little while longer.
For HostelBloggers, the Alcazar in Seville is one such place. In a little bit of a departure from the usual style, there’s no glibness or childish attempts at humor in this post. Just an effort to capture the essence, and a little bit of the history, of a genuinely magnificent monument…
The roots of the citadel date back to the 8th century, when it is believed to have functioned as a barracks for the Roman Army. Its role changed drastically, however, once the Abbadid Dynasty selected it as their official court in the 12th century. Within no time at all, the buildings had acquired something of the decorative ‘pleasure palace’ appearance – an appearance that was supported by the fact that the walls had become home to a harem of around 800 women!
That said, the Alcazar as it can be seen today only really started to take shape during the next century, when the Almohad Dynasty developed it into a citadel whose walls stretched out and enveloped the surrounding city. Their architectural tastes can be seen in the complex and highly rhythmic patterns that decorate the structure’s many walls, as well as in the many floor-level water features. There’s also a pleasing simplicity to the shape of the rooms, which rarely stray from the square – another feature of Moorish design at the time.
The 13th century was a tumultuous one for Al-Andalus, and no sooner had the Almohads bedded down than they were disposed of by invading Christian conquerors from the north. For hundreds of years thereafter the Alcazar would be the home of ‘Spanish’ kings, each of whom would add their own personal touch to the building. Fascinatingly, the additions made under each king (with perhaps the exception of the pious Carlos V, whose designs were largely Christian in their symbolism) retained the same Moorish architectural sensibility of the Almohads.
The Alcazar of today is most of all, though, a testament to the will of Pedro the Cruel of Castile, who got got the ball rolling in the 14th century by employing subjugated Moors to design and rebuild the structure, thus giving birth to the vaunted Mudejar era of Andalucian architecture.
The result as we see it now is a majestic combination of geometric patterns, auriferous decorations, and public and private spaces that resonate with a delicate beauty. Nature seems to ebb and flow through the buildings, almost as it would through a river of its own making, and the abiding tranquility of the Alcazar ensures it always rises above the increasing number of tourists in its midst.
It’s easy to lose yourself for hours, if not days, here, wandering around and gazing at the building’s various features, or simply reclining in its gardens, watching the doves and peacocks.
In fact, HostelBloggers were so taken by it all, we couldn’t help getting out our video camera and making a small (and slightly arty) film, which you can watch below. We’re thinking of titling it ‘Textures of the Alcazar’ or something like that - although we’re undecided as yet! So all suggestions welcome, really – as long as they’re in keeping with the high-brow subject matter, that is…
What is a glacier? Well, to scientists they’re large, slow-moving rivers of ice formed high up in the mountains where more snow falls than melts.
And for the rest of us, they’re an amazing phenomenon to behold across the globe, from Alaska to Austria to Antarctica.
But while there are many other stunning natural sights in this world, there’s something unique and intriguing about glaciers because of their fragility in our environment.
1. Fox and Franz Josef, New Zealand. These sibling glaciers on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island descend unusually close to the coast and even further down into a temperate rainforest. Accessible both by helicopter and on foot, they’ve proved to be a popular attraction.
2. Pasterze, Austria. The largest of Austria’s glaciers, Pasterze lies at the foot of the country’s largest mountain and although it currently has a large visitor center along the Grossglocknerstrasse mountain road, it’s expected to lose a huge 60 % of its mass by 2010.
3. Perito Moreno, Argentina. One of the most important sights in Argentine Patagonia, Perito Moreno is fed by the South Patagonian ice field in the Andes and is, unlike most of the other glaciers in this region, actually advancing. It’s also one of the most accessible in Patagonia - there are three viewing areas allowing travelers some stunning close-ups.
4. Hubbard, Alaska. The longest tidewater glacier in Alaska, it extends for a massive 76 miles from its source on Mt. Logan. As it’s also advancing, it’s an actively ‘calving’ glacier – meaning chunks of it continually break off and fall into the sea. Reached by boat or on foot, this makes for an exciting spectacle as well as an intriguing creaking noise which the indigenous Tlingit people have called ‘white thunder.’
5. Athabasca, Canada. Straddling the continental divide, this glacier is part of the Rocky Mountains’ Columbia ice field. It’s already receded to under half its original size but remains one of the most difficult and dangerous to reach.
6. Vatnajokull, Iceland. Iceland’s largest glacier covers 8% of the country and lies in a doubly fascinating landscape surrounded by active volcanoes, ice caves and hot springs – the latter of which are open to visitors.
7. Yulong, China. Situated in the Yunnan Province of China, this receding glacier is similarly inaccessible to visitors as the high altitude climb to the final observation desk often requires the use of oxygen.
8. Antarctica. Home to countless glaciers, Antarctica is now becoming a popular destination for responsible tourism and, when you take a look at the range of amazing sights it has to offer, it’s easy to see why.
9. Biafo, Pakistan. This remote glacier in the Karakoram Mountain Range is just about accessible via a lengthy hike along the edge of Snow Lake. But if you can make it, it’s a truly unforgettable journey.
10. Furtwangler, Mt. Kilimanjaro. And finally, one of the most iconic glaciers in the world: the snows of Kilimanjaro were made famous years ago by Hemmingway, but here, too, the ice is receding rapidly and some reports even predict it to have disappeared by as early as 2015.
HostelBloggers say – grab your backpack and see them while you still can!
It’s not a bad life being part of the HostelBloggers crew. But whether we’re out on the road gathering content for a great new post on the EXIT Festival in Serbia, or feverishly searching the web, our fingers curled over into keyboard tapping claws, for the latest curios from the world of budget travel, a fair bit of hard graft goes into it.
It’s all worth it in the end, though - and never more so than when we find something like this little gem:
The whole thing bubbles over with the enthusiam of an adventurer and it just works in so many ways.
Despite only being made up of the shortest of snapshots, it manages to convey a real sense of journey – that’s undeniably helped by the way his hair and beard grow as it progresses! It’s also packed with vibrant images, ranging from breathlessly iconic landscapes to the intriguingly mundane, and it bounces along on a great little soundtrack.
But if the video’s cool, then digging a little deeper dredged up a whole load of other brilliant stuff. The author, Chris Rehage, is a free-spirited German traveler, blogger and filmmaker, who left his home in Bad Nenndorf, Germany, a few months ago to retrace the old Silk Road through China.
The latest musing from his time on the road can be found on his blog, The Longest Way, while a whole load of stunning images (like the one above, of his time spent following the Great Wall) are crying out to be marveled at on his photo site.
All in all, it’s an impressive body of work, and HostelBloggers for one will be glued to it over the coming weeks and months.
When HostelBloggers read Oddee’s fascinating collection of ‘Ghost Towns’ around the world, it sent a bit of a shiver down our (utterly cowardly) spine.
From the tower blocks on the deserted Japanese island of Gunkanjima, to Kolmanskop, the old diamond mining town that has eerily been reclaimed by the Namibian desert, there are few things more unsettling than a town that’s been deserted and left at the mercy of the elements.
Whether abandoned when the nearby resources dried up or in the wake of a disaster (natural or otherwise), ghost towns are spooky for their emptiness. It’s not a natural emptiness, either, but the pronounced sense of absence – and the ‘ghostly’ vestiges of past lives – that really resonate as you creep around the crumbling buildings…
Ok, so this may not be the easiest way to travel, but it sure makes for one original ride!
This isn’t your average tricycle for toddlers, but a three-wheel mini car. Tricycles are as common as Jeepneys in the Philippines, but a little bit safer – the pickpockets can’t get at your cash when you’re whizzing past! Each tricycle carries up to five without luggage, and two with heavy backpacks. Part of the fun is picking up other passengers along the way! 
If you’re ever in Cuba, make sure you take the three-wheeled Coco Taxi to get around Havana’s hectic streets, named ‘Coco’ because it resembles a ‘Coconut’ in shape! They may look cute but these little scooters zip around the city. Prices should always be charged per ride, not per person, so ask before you get in- but the drivers are usually very honest. It will cost you around 7 or 8 pesos depending on how far you travel.
The best places to go dog sledding are on the snow covered plains of Alaska and Canada, where experienced ’sledders’ will drive you on a sleigh pulled by huskies through the snow. Tours are offered all over Canada, and most take you along the lakeside scenery, with Bridge Lake in British Columbia, Lake Louise in Alberta, and Alongquin Park in Ontario. 
Once you’ve mastered mounting a camel and sitting between its humps, it’s the best way to see the desert. For the real deal, head to Tunisia where you can trek on a camel across the Sahara. 
Elephants are something of a national animal in Thailand, and feature heavily in local legends and folk tales. There are plenty of the graceful creatures wandering around in their natural habitat, but elephant trekking is a great way to explore Thailand’s lush jungles from on high. 
You’ll really see the world from the giddy heights of a hot air balloon. There are hot air balloon festivals all over the globe, where the skies are packed with colorful balloons in all shapes and sizes, but the best way to start is to buy a ride with an experienced ‘pilot’, and marvel as they take you higher and higher. 
The easiest way to get around Bangkok is to take to the water and avoid the traffic-congested main streets. The Bangkok Boat Express runs along the Khlong Saen Saep river, with two lines that run past many of the busiest shopping streets.
The Wheels on the bus go round and round…and all night long on the London party bus, where from £25 per person you can party on board a traditional red double-decker bus. 
One of the things that makes Granada so special is the way in which its Moorish past is so evident, so tangible. And about halfway down the Carrera del Darro, where the lower Albazyin rolls down the hill to the river, is a case in point in 
Leaving the cool of the baths, and stepping out blinking into the bright sunlight, you’re confronted by the collapsed arch of a bridge. Tracing the curve that it once would have followed, it’s clear that it would have been quite a spectacle in its day. As with almost everywhere you turn in Granada – from 
The best place to start a walk round the Realejo is probably at the crossroads of Calle Colchas and Calle Pavaneras. Here, a bronze statue of the great Jewish translator Yehuda Ibn Tibon stands, brandishing a parchment. It’s a symbolic place to begin because, just as the Albayzin was Granada’s 
About halfway down Calle San Matias, turn right onto Escudo del Carmen and you enter one of the oldest parts of the Realejo. Here, the houses increasingly begin to lean in on themselves, almost shutting out the sunlight from above. If you take a left onto Calle Laurel de San Matias, you pass a handful of 16th century houses (their gorgeous courtyards, unfortunately, locked away behind private doors); turn left at the end of the street, and you start to double-back upon yourself.
Wandering through this part of the barrio, you see more evidence of the area’s ethnic roots. As is the case everywhere, it’s the tiny little historical details that tell the city’s story and now make it such a bewitching place for the traveler in Granada.
If you leave the little square at its far left-hand corner and head to the end of the street, you come to another plaza: the striking Plaza Padre Suarez. From here, it’s just a quick right turn and a short stroll down Calle Escolastica to the tiny Bar Candela (No. 9, on the corner). Yet another of the many atmospheric tapas bars in Granada, it’s a perfect spot for a drink and a moment to take stock.
The roots of the citadel date back to the 8th century, when it is believed to have functioned as a barracks for the Roman Army. Its role changed drastically, however, once the Abbadid Dynasty selected it as their official court in the 12th century. Within no time at all, the buildings had acquired something of the decorative ‘pleasure palace’ appearance – an appearance that was supported by the fact that the walls had become home to a harem of around 800 women!
The 13th century was a tumultuous one for Al-Andalus, and no sooner had the Almohads bedded down than they were disposed of by invading Christian conquerors from the north. For hundreds of years thereafter the Alcazar would be the home of ‘Spanish’ kings, each of whom would add their own personal touch to the building. Fascinatingly, the additions made under each king (with perhaps the exception of the pious 
The result as we see it now is a majestic combination of geometric patterns, auriferous decorations, and public and private spaces that resonate with a delicate beauty. Nature seems to ebb and flow through the buildings, almost as it would through a river of its own making, and the abiding tranquility of the Alcazar ensures it always rises above the increasing number of tourists in its midst.
