The Alhambra at night

We went to see the Alhambra (the beautiful 11th century Moorish palace) tonight at 10 PM, just two hours after we arrived in Granada. It was romantic and exotic at night, and the crowds were at lot less intense than during the day.

 I'd like to say that seeing it at night was our master plan all along, but we did it entirely because Mark and I goofed up. We had no idea that tickets for the daytime visits sold out weeks ahead, and when I went online to check them  few days ago while in Barcelona, I had a mini panic attack when I learned they  were all sold out for tomorrow -- our main day in Granada. I could get tickets to see the Generalife Gardens during the day, but not the Alhambra.

Our handy-dandy Rick Steves guide (if you don't know him, he's the BEST guide-book writer for Americans traveling in Europe) had a section for clueless tourists like us who don't reserve their tickets in advance. He alerted us to the fact that  there's a nighttime tour of the Alhambra palace starting at 10 PM. A bit late, but the kids were up for it. We ended up having a lovely time wandering through the nighttime palace And we get to see the gardens tomorrow in the light of day. Saved by Rick yet again!