Madrid - The place: Mirador San Nicolás, Granada, Andalucia. The time: an hour before sunset. The reason: this is the perfect moment to stare in wonder at one of Europe's most glorious creations.
To reach the viewpoint, pick your way through the shady tangle of cobbled lanes of the Albaícin, the old Islamic quarter. Eventually you emerge at a plaza high above the Darro river.
The square is rich in birdsong and chatter, but all eyes are on the Alhambra. This concoction of palaces and gardens is perched dramatically on a bluff across the river, defended by a ripple of mighty walls.
A wise visitor will already have explored the interior of the Alhambra on the first tour of the day -at 8.30am, before the heat and the crowds turn up in force.
The finest achievement of Moorish rule in Spain deploys graceful geometry to harness light and shadow and create a series of intimate, intricate visions.
Equally rewarding, though, is the view from the Mirador San Nicolás. It provides a wide-angle platform to appreciate this jewel set in context. red and gold against the silvery backdrop of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
You will enjoy this sublime sundown in the boisterous company of a hundred other tourists, plus a contingent of local regulars who appreciate the miracle daily. Many are sipping cold bottles of Alhambra Premium Lager as the sun warms their backs.
Once the light fades and the temperature falls, you can descend into town where further replenishment awaits. I first came to Granada in 1976 with the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to Europe as my unreliable companion. It recommended a dodgy bar off the Gran Via where the sport involved sinking three shots of anis seco (a weapons-grade Spanish variant on Pernod), then attempting to cross the road. Since then I have learned to follow a more measured local tradition at the Gran Taberna, on the east side of the Plaza Nueva.
In my experience Granada is one of the last cities in Spain where it is still customary to offer a free tapa with a drink. Order a caña (small beer), and you will also be served an arbitrary but invariably tasty snack.
Nibble at it while you vainly look back through your recently taken photographs to see if any has captured the intensity of the moment. Then have another beer, and accept that the finest travel experiences are those that remain in your mind, to enrich the rest of your life.
The Independent