I wasn’t expecting to go to another site of interest today because I was just having a quiet day. But then I got in the mood to go out and headed up to see the number one “Specialty Museum” in Granada on TripAdvisor.
It took some climbing to the top of the Albaicín neighborhood, but I finally made it up to the Museo Cuevas del Sacromonte. It was an extraordinary experience.
These are manmade caves carved out the limestone by some groups of people in the past. People had lived in them for many years. There were a number of homes and several workshops for basket making, metalworking, ceramics, and a stable. This area is the home of a certain kind of flamenco dancing, and there was even a cave built like a performance area for the music and dancing.
The views from the top of both the Albaicín and the Alhambra were fantastic. The walk there is part of a tourist walking route. I entered several peaceful garden courtyards, some with bubbling fountains and pomegranate trees. Granada is named after pomegranates.
There is a legend as to how the caves were dug in the first place. Remember how the Moors were forced out of Spain to Africa? Well, they expected to return to Granada so they buried some of their treasures to collect later. Their slaves of course heard about these plans and when the Catholic regime freed them, they went up to the hills to search for the hidden objects. We don’t know if they found what they were looking for, but in the process of digging, they formed the beginnings of the caves and turned them into their homes.
It was one of the best 5 euros I’ve ever spent.
