Until today, we had not yet felt like tourists being horded around and squeezed for money. That ended today with our visit to the Alhambra, a 14th century fort / palace constructed by the Muslim emirs. Wars, abandonment, and time caused much of the Alhambra to fall into disrepair. Only once Grenada realized what a goldmine they were sitting on did they begin to repair it, in the 19th century. Now it is THE destination for buses full of elderly tourists.
To be fair, the only things in the US which are this old are either carved into cliffs or inside Larry King. And like Larry King, much of the Alhambra was rebuilt to stand up to the wear and tear of many engagements.
What remains of the palace would have been greatly enhanced by artwork, tapestries, furniture, and far fewer tourists. While I love exposed brick as much as any New Yorker, I very much think the emirs would have opted for something more grand. Some parts that remain hint at the former opulence, but even those are under constant reconditioning (e.g., the famous lions circling the main fountain were off getting cleaned – this was the pinnacle of bummers).
The most interesting part of the Alhambra for me was the ingenious ways the architects designed some rooms to be cool, even in the blistering sun. It was in the mid-80s when we visited, and the sun was oppressive enough to slow the older tourists to a crawl. There were rooms in the palace however that — without any doors or fancy contrivances — were 20+ degrees cooler. Marble, it turns out, is quite good at staying cool.
As we exited the palace and explored the surroundings, we discovered that there are scores of semi-wild cats who call the palace home. We noticed that these cats had perfected the ability to perch on the rims of trash cans and reach in to pick out choice morsels. All I could think of is what an amazing bum fight we could have between these cats and the Grand Central trash-diving hobos. Winner gets a bindle full of fish scraps.
My biggest takeaway from today is that even though crossing paths with tourist hordes is inevitable, it is quite nice to watch them pack into a bus bound for the next photo opportunity while you set off to figure out a way to get back to your hotel. Sure, you may end up walking or catching a local bus, but there is some excitement in not having a guide to fall back on. Also, the tapas and beer taste a little better when you had to earn them.
darkmarkets dark market 2022
deep web markets darknet marketplace
tor marketplace tor market links
dark web markets darkmarket
dark web drug marketplace deep web drug markets
deep web drug links darknet market
tor dark web dark web market
dark web sites tor markets 2022
darknet market links tor markets 2022
bitcoin dark web darkmarket list
tor marketplace darkweb marketplace
tor markets dark markets
darknet market links dark web sites
dark market deep web drug url
drug markets onion drug markets dark web
darknet marketplace tor market
deep web drug links dark markets
bitcoin dark web darknet market
dark web markets dark markets
darkmarket 2022 darkweb marketplace
dark market onion darkmarket 2022
dark market list tor darknet
tor market url dark web market
darkmarket list tor darknet
dark web markets darkmarket list
deep web drug store tor markets
dark web market links deep web drug links
darknet market lists dark web links
dark web markets deep web drug markets
darknet market list tor market links
dark web link darkmarket link
dark web drug marketplace deep web drug url
tor market url tor market links
darknet market deep web drug markets
darkmarket link drug markets dark web
deep web markets dark web drug marketplace
darkmarket url darkmarket link
tor markets links darkmarket link
darknet drug store dark web market
darknet market list deep web drug url
darknet market dark web market list
dark web link dark web market links
darknet market links darknet drug market
darknet drug store darknet market links
dark market onion darkmarket link
dark web links dark market list
darknet market lists tor market url
darknet drug market deep web drug markets
tor dark web dark web market
darkmarket link darknet drug store