More to Granada than just Alhambra - stunning churches!

Basilica of San Juan de Dios completed in 1759; the fresco paintings covering every inch of the church were done by one man

The Royal Chapel is where Ferdinand and Isabella are buried; no photos allowed inside

Construction of the Granada Cathedral began in the early 16th century during the Spanish Renaissance; it was conceived on the model the cathedral in Toledo

Silver urn featuring the relics of St. John of God; he was born in Portugal in the 15th century, settled in Granada where he took care of the less fortunate, had a vision of the baby Jesus and changed his name to Juan de Dios

Brilliant Mannerist altarpiece at the Royal Monastery of St. Jerome

Since the others slept in I decided that I would do a self-guided walking tour; Renaissance 1504 Monastery of St. Jerome

Granada lies at 2400 feet above sea level in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains; in less than an hour you could be skiing or enjoying a Mediterranean beach

Inside the Royal Monastery of St. Jerome every surface is painted; just magnificent!

Royal Monastery of St. Jerome was the first in the world consecrated to the Immaculate Conception of Mary

Basilica de San Juan de Dios had excellent audioguide; rated 8 out of 225 things to see in Granada on TripAdvisor

Basilica of St. Juan de Dios pulpit; the Baroque exterior doesn't begin to prepare you for the explosion of gold on the inside

Basilica of St. Juan de Dios; I'm glad I waited around for them to open 30 minutes late; Rick Steve's made it a starred attraction in his book

Basilica of St. Juan de Dios; you see lots of Spanish flags flying from apartments as the possible break away of Catalonia rages on

Seems ironic that to honor someone who helped the poor and less fortunate that you would build such a lavish church as Basilica of St. Juan de Dios

The Granada Cathedral was finally finished in 1704; it is wedged in among other buildings and hard to photograph

We had this view (from either the kitchen or the bathroom) of the Alhambra from our apartment; even better at night!

Waiting for the newlyweds; In the 13th century Granada was one of the richest cities in Europe and had a population of 350,000

There were some excellent street performers in Granada; it's just impressive how they can stay so still for long periods

City Hall; Granada was considered a backwater Spanish town until it was rediscovered after the publication of Washington Irving's book Tales of the Alhambra in 1832

1525 Hospital Real is now a public library; I noticed that many places ignored their posted hours and had more iffy schedules

Basilica of San Juan de Dios is one of the world's most opulently decorated churches; every inch is glittering

Mirador de San Nicolas is famous for having the best views of the Alhambra

We stayed in an old palace in the Albaicin which is the old Muslim quarter; the streets are too narrow for cars so we hauled our luggage up the hill to our accommodation with much complaining

Queen Isabella loved Granada and thought the name very fitting; Granada was named for the pomegranate and Isabella felt the buildings were like seeds on the hillside

Puerta de Elvira is an 11th century Moorish arch that was one of the gateways to the city; Granada was the last Moorish stronghold in Western Europe

1567 Church of St. Peter and St. Paul; Granada sister cities include Marrakech and Coral Gables, FL

Lee flew into Granada instead of Malaga; Granada has a population of 270,000 with the metro being almost 480,000