Granada is not a town that I expected to visit, but I'm glad we did. This is my second favorite town in Spain next to Barcelona (but keep in mind we haven't seen Madrid yet). Granada is home to the Alhambra which was a huge palace held by the Moors when they controlled Spain. It's really nice to see Moorish/Islamic buildings like this because they're so unique in Europe and I'm getting so sick of seeing cathedrals. The Alhambra is a big castle/palace that is surrounded by castle walls on a hill overlooking the city and is comprised of three main parts: the defensive fortress, the palaces, and the gardens. The gardens were particularly surprising because they were very extravagant and this is a region of Spain where plants like these can barely survive due to the heat. The palace we went inside was incredibly detailed, and it was mostly open air which is different than the palaces we've seen in the rest of Europe. And like I've said, after travelling around Europe for three months and seeing endless Gothic and Baroque cathedrals, it's very refreshing to see Moorish architecture, something to break the mold and provide us with something different to look at. The palace was definitely the highlight of Granada. Granada also has an old Moorish part of town that was not destroyed when the Christians reclaimed the city (Granada was the last Moorish stronghold in Spain) that is still intact and very cool to walk around. The streets are very narrow, winding, and steep. It's like walking in a labrynth and it has plenty of dead ends. However, if you can find your way to the top of the hill through all the houses which look exactly the same and make it even more difficult, the view is rewarding. There is a park at the top that has a breathtaking view of the Alhambra (on an opposing hill) with the mountains in the background. The other highlight of Granada asides from the Alhambra and the old streets is the tapa culture. Tapas are small portions of food that are served to groups of people at bars and you just eat them while you drink. Here's how it works in Granada, you order a beer at the bar (about $2) and they bring you out a beer...and a small sandwich and fries. When you order another beer they bring out a different type of sandwich and another side. And it continues like that and you can go to a different bar and try their food also. It's amazing, I can't believe this hasn't caught on in the states, free food while you drink. So this is a great deal for backpackers like us, order a couple of beers and you get free dinner.