La Alhambraaaaa

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FINALLY...
after a month of seeing the Alhambra from a far, I have set foot on the actual ground! (twice may I add in one week!) The WSU students toured on a Saturday, and then also when Odin came to visit-it was a must!

What a beautiful piece of history this is to Granada. I had learned a lot about the different parts of the Alhambra in my Islamic Class which made the tour that much more interesting.
Just a tid bit on the Alhambra:
Granada, Spain is KNOWN for having this historic Muslim Palace structure. There are three different areas when touring the Alhambra; the Palace, Generalife (garden), and the Towers. Although I believe each of those 3 parts are divided into smaller areas. It was once the residence of the Muslim Rulers of the Southern part of Spain, then taken over by a Catholic King and Queen, now just a tourist attraction.

Palace:
Having a bit of an architecture appreciation in my family, I LOVED seeing the crazy arches (Which I learned are "horse-shoe" style arches) all are carved in arab writing... beautiful ceramic tiles, amazing vaulted ceilings, and fountains (my favorite!) in every other room of the place. It was just massive. It was also cool to see the random spots where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella took over and added the Catholic touches. (in some pictures)

Towers:
And I thought I had seen a good view of the city...HA! This takes the cake. There were multiple towers we climbed to, each higher than the last, with the finale being the bell tower. I loved being able to see the cathedral, or the airport, or my favorite plaza, all from a birds eye view. Simply breathtaking.

Garden:
I have never witnessed such an extensive garden. I am scared for Mom's backyard after Steph having seen this. My group spent the most time wondering through this maze of a place. Fountains, trees, flowers, views, grapevines, ahhh it was BEAUTIFUL! There was also a stage being set up in the middle, I guess many concerts are held there! So clean and fresh, I thought the garden alone was worth a visit!

In the end, the Alhambra IS all that it is cracked up to be-and is an AWESOME touring opportunity.
Besos!

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Photos

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Horse shoe arch

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fortress

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WSU group on tower #1

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Bell Tower

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View from the bell tour-spot the cathedral?

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a-MAZ-ing :)

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arches carved in Arab

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I think the chlorine is a little low in this fountain...

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Beautiful.

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King F/Queen I

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Romantic gardens

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Picking grapes...right before we got kicked out (kidding Moms!)

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View of the Alhambra FROM the garden