17 November 2022 - The Alhambra
Miles driven today = 0
Total Miles to date = 3,229
Oh my word! I think in my mind I was starting to worry a little bit that having elevated the Alhambra to be the one place I really wanted to see on this trip, it wouldn't live up to expectations. The pitter patter of rain on the van roof this morning probably didn't help but I shouldn't have worried. I absolutely loved it and if you've never experienced the place yourself then please just stick it on your bucket list now and make the effort.
The fact that they limit visitors to 6,500 a day is a real positive. Provided you can avoid the tour parties, which is surprisingly easy to do, you can wander the enormous site at will. The only restraint is your timed appointment to see around the old moorish Nasrid Palaces. Mine was at 2:30pm but I arrived at the gates a full 4 hours before that, which gave me plenty of time to explore all the other areas and leave the cherry on the cake until last.
Much like the other big historical sites we have visited on this tour I could spend an age reciting text from elsewhere but I took 250 photos today so I will predominantly let them do the talking and keep the typing to a minimum, otherwise I'm not going to get to bed tonight.
So having queued up at the entrance and shown both e-ticket and ID for the first of probably half a dozen times I entered the Alhambra itself by crossing the "Royal Ditch" and passing through the gates at the eastern end.
The path to the main points of interest from there takes you through some impressively topiaried hedges.
The Convent of St Francis is a hotel nowadays. I had a quick wander round the areas which were open to non-guests including the tomb where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were initially interred. They were responsible for re-taking Granada from the moors in 1492 and thereby completing the Christian re-capture of the Iberian peninsular. However a few years later their son, Emperor Charles had them dug up and moved to a new Royal Chapel.
There are several areas of the Alhambra which have been excavated by archeologists and left to display their foundations and thereby give an impression of the complexity of the buildings. This area was once the Nasrid Palace of the Abencerrajes. It was situated near to the urban hub of the old medina.
The Puerto del Vino is so named because it was used as a wine cellar in the 16th Century.
I made my way through it to the extreme western end of the site and the 11th Century Alcazaba, which is the oldest surviving and most heavily fortified part of the Alhambra.
The word Alhambra is derived from the Arabic "Al Qal'a al-Hamra" which means Red Fort.
Several of the towers of the Alcazaba are open to public access.
They offer fantastic views across Granada and the surrounding countryside.
Within the walls of the Alcazaba you can see the foundations of the barrio where the occupants used to live and work.
The Renaissance Palace was built by Carlos V. It looks totally out of place with its chunky block design and unfortunately he knocked down some of the older Nasrid Palaces in order to build it.
Work commenced in 1526 but the Palace was never finished as Carlos never came back to Granada after commissioning it.
There are 2 museums within the Palace. On the first floor the Museum of Belle Artes has a display of Christian paintings and sculptures.
And on the basement level there is a museum of articles found during excavations of the Alhambra. This engraved water trough dates back to the 11th century.
This selection of urns are from the 12th to 14th Centuries. There was lots of other interesting stuff but shortly after I took this I got my wrists slapped for breaking the no photos rule. Well how was I to know!
This is the Church of St Mary of the Alhambra.
I didn't really get to find out too much about the place but my guess it was a rebuilt or repurposed mosque. The alterpiece is dated 1612,
There weren't very many obvious lunch opportunities so I dived into the Hotel America for a quick sandwich and a cafe con leche.
I still had more than an hour to go before my alloted slot for the Nasrid Palaces so I went for a wander round the "Generalife" Gardens.
Although outside the walls of the Alhambra itself these are the leafy and water-filled gardens where the Sultans would spend their time in the summer months.
This was effectively their summer palace.
Great views across to the Alhambra itself.
This staircase had water courses running down both sides giving it a wonderfully cooling effect. There is running water throughout the Alhambra which is provided thanks to a river being diverted for 8 kilometres.
I've never seen a black squirrel before. This guy was definitely king of the castle, chasing off any other squirrels who dared come near his favourite tree.
So I left the best until last. The Nasrid Palaces were individually built by a succession of the islamic rulers.
The intricacy of the decoration of the walls and ceilings is simply breathtaking.
Close up to give you some idea of the detail but just imagine entire palaces covered in this and how much effort that would have taken.
The Patio de los Arrayanes.
Just one example of the incredible interior stucco work.
The Patio de los Leones (Patio of the Lions)
Ceiling of the Sala de Dos Hermanas. There were so many rooms like this!
One of the Nasrid Palace gardens.
I was completely bemused by this. I took the photo through a small window and there was no indication what the rounded roofs or the porthole windows were for.
Down in the cellars this is all that survives of the old palace hamman or baths.
These are some of the old houses which have survived behind the Palaces.
And finally on the way out these are the the Palace and Gardens of El Partal.
I'm still completely blown away. What a day! What a place!
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