Granada is GREAT!

I visited Granada last week and really enjoyed it.

I picked the train over the bus as the way to get there and it was a really comfortable way to travel with beatiful views the whole way there and back (and is very easy to get to from Malaga being about 1.5 hours away by train). 

Here's a few pics from my visit:

How beautiful are the public street lights?!

Granada has stunning architecture everywhere! It's got far more beautiful and historical buildings than Malaga

We visited a viewing point to see the most spectacular scenery and of course the Alhambra which is spectacular

Overall, I thought Granada to be much bigger than I expected. It's a very beautiful city and being a university town it's got a cool youmg vibe to it.

In Granda, a free tapas is always given when you order a drink. That's nice for sure!

And there are tons of art galleries and museums to visit. We stopped off in La Raiz, El Silo Electrico and spent a bit of time browsing the art in the Centro Jose Guerrero which houses a very special collection of artworks over many floors.

It was a flying visit and next time we go we will stay for a night or two and go visit the Alhambra with on a guided tour.

Marrakech, Morocco - holiday visit!

 Am just back from a trip to Marrakech after flying there with Ryanair.

Here's a brief write up of what I got up to in this city. 

Day 1 - Afternoon flight

Arrived to where we are staying in Marrakesh yesterday and we were served the most delicious mint tea and biscuits on our arrival.

We explored a little bit of the medina and then relaxed on the rooftop terrace of our riad.

Later we were served an absolute feast of traditional Moroccan food by our host which we followed by an early sleep as we were tired after the travel and small time change.

Marrakesh is unlike anywhere I have ever been to and I look forward to seeing more of it over the next few days

Day 2

Today, after an incredible traditional breakfast in our riad (with the best coffee!) we set about exploring the medina today. We took a visit in to Bahia Palace whivh was so beautiful but my photos don't do the colours and details any justice.

After that it was time for a cold drink of water and a little pastry while taking in the sights & sounds of Marrakesh.

Its a busy place with everything feeling unfamiliar, and while walking through a market I came upon a snake charmer and a man with monkeys in his arms. I'm not a fan of snakes so practically ran the other way.

Later after relaxing with a book on the roof top it was then time to venture out for dinner. Our cards wouldn't give us any cash, and with not many places taking card payment, we had to scrape what cash we currently have to pay for cheap and cheerful dishes!

Day 3

Today after an early breakfast we set off to visit the beautiful Jardin Mayorelle and the Yves Saint Laurent museum. It was a long walk outside of the walled city and luckily we had booked tickets online which saved us a big wait!

The gardens were so gorgeous and incredibly tranquil while the YSL museum was in a stunning building designed by KO Studio and housed the most beautiful YSL couture and art.

After getting lost on our way back to our riad (but were kindly directed away from the tanneries and towards the market square by a man on a bike who called out to us to take a right as we were just beginning to go left) we spent the afternoon on the terrace and took dips in the cold water pool to cool down.

And then it was off for another wander in the evening for a dinner on a terrace high above the main square. A tasty tagine with added people watching!

Day 4

Another busy day in Marrakech with visits to the Musee de Marrakech and the excellent Maison de la Photographie. It was incredible to see photos of the souk taken in 1920 with not very much change from today.

For dinner we we went to "Le Trou au Mur" where I sampled the delights of Camel(!) made in a tangia rather than a tagine. So good and very like beef I think!

Day 5

We spent the morning visiting the Musee de la Femme and after that the Museum of the Confluences which also houses the gorgeous Bacha Coffee cafe. There was a really good exhibition by Fatma Gbouri in this museum, and she was one of the women highlighted in the Musee de la Femme!

We have got into a nice routine of having a leisurely morning visiting different places and then spending the afternoon reading in the sun and going out for dinner about 7pm (stopping off beforehand for a cold drink of water in a busy place doing some people watching) and getting home just before the sun fully sets.

Yesterday evening we we went to a buffet restaurant where we got to taste lots of different traditional salads and meats along with live traditional music. It was fun and we even had little Moroccan biscuits for dessert!

Day 6

This morning we met a little kitten called Nairobi which is owned by the daughter of our riad manager, a gorgeous little friendly cat who after a few pets headed in to our room to investigate the shower area!

We then visited The Secret Garden which is an absolute oasis in the centre of the Marrakech medina. It was beautifully restored in 2013 and they have great photos and videos that document the restoration and all of the people who worked on it. The attention to detail is incredible and it was great to see the detailed plasterwork up close. It is a calm tranquil place in the middle of the business of city life and I highly recommend a visit.

Dinner was in a practically empty restaurant which is leading us to think that their quiet season is starting now.

We have one full day left and we have lots planned for it!

Day 7

Our last full day in Marrakech started with a visit to the amazing Bacha Coffee in the former Palais Dar el Bacha which is the now the Musee des Confluence. The coffee shop was worth the 40 minute queue before it opened to ensure we got in 3rd! The lines can be really long for it during the day so this is the best way to do it....and it is so good we are planning to go back tomorrow before we head to the airport!

Our 2nd stop of the day was the Koranic school the Medersa Ben Youssef which dates back to the 14th century. Its a stunning building, with a large prayer hall and detail after detail - I am a big fan of the intricate plasterwork.

Day 8 - half day before afternoon flight

We went back to Bacha Coffee!!

We started queuing at 9.05am for a 10am opening. We were first in line with a couple from Sweden immediately joining us in the queue. Definitely worth it!

Then it is straight back to the riad to check out and go to the airport back to Spain

Where we stayed:

Riad Makene Mouchkill - we highliy recommend here.

What was enjoyed most:

Yves St Laurent Home, Gardens & Museum

Bacha Coffee

Maison de Photography

Secret Garden

Practicalities & Advice:

Boarding Cards need to by physically printed.

Additionally your boarding card needs to be stamped by the airline at the check desk - this is even if you are not checking in luggage.

My advice would be to get to the airport very early as there are about 6 steps / checks to go through before you get to the departure gates. Ryanair opens their check in desk 3 hours before the flight and when we arrived at this time, there was already a queue built up.