You put the nada in Granada

So my past weekend was well spent in the city of Granada. When I traveled to Spain in 2006 my first, and only, impression of Spain was Madrid. I really loved the city and everything it had to offer. So come one week ago when I arrived in the dead of night to Cordoba I must say that I had left Spain the way that I had remembered it. And to top it all off, Madrid ISN'T the best that Spain has. Every Spaniard I've meet and talked to says usually says one thing about Madrid: "It's ok.....but not the best thing here. I would much rather chose (Enter Spanish city here)" So if Madrid is not the best thing about Spain, imagine how great all the other cities are. Granada is a good example.
Granada is really miles beyond Madrid. The city is divided into the old part and the new part (much like any city) but this one has a definite distinction. A huge Spanish flag marks the meeting point between the two worlds, and it is quite symbolic, I think, of the whole country of Spain. The old part has everything one would think of in the romantic, Carmenesque ideal of Spain. We were entertained by gypsies, walked along narrow pathways, and saw so many Arabic shops that the smell of incense is permanently lodged in my clothing. It was great!
The entire first day we were in Granada was spent in the Alhambra, a huge Arabic palace for the last Caliph (or some other Arabic ruling name) that ruled Arabic Granada. The weather, first of all, was perfect: 20 degrees (celisus) and not a cloud in the sky. We had to wake up at 6am to be able to enter the palace, but it was well worth the groggy bus ride. Every room was elaborately decorated, and every courtyard was cool and refreshing, with long reflection pools and water fountains galore.
After we explored the palace, we then went to the gardens. In these gardens was a mini-palace where the wife of the sultan-guy lived. It was so nice, and cool, and refreshing, and....oh so much more. Describing it really wouldn't do it justice, and by myself it would be a crime. The rest of the day, as short as that was, was spent in near the caterderal (which is MASSIVE) and walking along this street that was completely decked out in Arabic souveniers. Bejeweled boxes and palestinian scarfs as far as the eye could see!
The next day we spent in the old part of the city, huffing and puffing up the mountain side, climbing the "spanish steps" as laurie called them. we were entertained, only for a short time, by some gypsies, who still live in caves high up in the mountain. We spent the afternoon in a nice bar, where I drank my new favorite drink of red wine with lemon, and later explored the inside of the catederal (did I say it was MASSIVE?). We took a well deserved bus ride back to Cordoba, on which a couple wanted to show the entire bus how much they loved each other, and came back to a heaping bowl of Arroz con leche (rich with milk). It was the perfect welcome home treat, and we fell asleep watching movies on television, with two of the travelers not understanding a single word of said movies.
All in all, if Madrid is the worst thing that Spain has to offer, then I'm excited to see what else Spain has in store.