Granada and the Alhambra

Having been unable to get tickets to the famous Alhambra, which was number one on my list of things to do, we decided to visit the town anyway and see the palace from the outside. Due to the fact that no one really knew what they wanted to do, we decided to split up and meet up later. While the others dithered over lunch I decided to wander round the outside of the Alhambra and see what I could see.

I read somewhere that Islamic architecture is designed not to amaze from the outside but to reward the persistence of the explorer. They were right, from the outside, all you can see is walls with the occasional hint of what lies on the inside. Intrigued with the outside I decided to persist and climb the steeeep hill that it is built on and eventually I came upon the ticket office. On the off chance I decided to check just in case a ticket was available. Luck turned out to be on my side and for the small price of ten euro, I gained entry into another world.

The inside of the complex was very different to anything I had seen and a good introduction historical Islamic sites. The palace however was amazing, certainly the equivalent of Buckingham palace, it is all old though upkept but the attention to detail and the complexity of the design and tiles was amazing. I particularly liked how the explorer was continually rewarded, around every corner was a new delight, from every window a new scene. On the outside there were pools, and amazing gardens kept in the same style as they would have been originally.

I spent three hours on the site took nearly a gig of photos and still didn’t see nearly everything! At the top of one of the towers was the most amazing view I have ever seen, only a few views have been truly breathtaking in the time that I have been over here, and this one was breathtaking in the true meaning of the word. My photos don’t do justice to the snowcapped Sierra Nevadas in the background and the full 360 panorama, a view that really has to be experienced to truly appreciate. Though the bus arrived in Spain late in the afternoon we were still able to catch a quick siesta on the bus before we got back to the apartment.