Soaking it in, Alhama de Granada, Spain
Alhama’s name says it all…that is of course if you speak Arabic. Just a mile or two upriver from this quiet town astride a vertigo-inspiring canyon, a hot spring has been soothing aches and pains for two millennia. The town’s name comes from the mineral-rich water bubbling out of the ground at a toasty 116.6 ºF. Here, the Romans built a spa that the Arabs later spruced up. The first known traveler to soak his road-weary feet here was Ibn Battutah en route from Malaga to Granada in 1350. However, if today’s traveler wants to visit, they must either be guests of the modern balneario (spa) that has kidnapped the ruins or visit the site between the entirely unSpanish hours of 2 to 4pm. That or do as the local kids do and take a dip in the public land just below the building.
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Originally published on Trazzler
