Oh la l'Alhambra

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The tour book that I used when I was planning my trip recommended setting aside 3 hours to see the Alhambra and Generalife in Granada. They were not kidding. In fact, from the time I hopped out of my taxi (I learned my lesson the day before about successfully finding my way there on foot) until, exhausted, I hailed a taxi back to the hotel, it took just over 5 hours to see it all.





So much has been said and written about the beauty of the Alhambra that you always wonder if it can live up to expectations. It certainly did, but in a somewhat different way than I had expected. I think I expected to be over-awed from the start, similar to the feeling you get when you first step inside a large cathedral. The Alhambra is different. The tour begins slowly with a 20 minute walk from the main ticket area to the area where the entrance to 2 of the 3 main structures/areas meet. You walk along a tree-lined stone road that slowly rises higher up mountain. You pass some buildings that have craft and souvenir shops, a hotel even, a small church, and then you arrive at a large open square. On the right there are beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and on the right is the Palace of Charles V, a later addition that looks very out of place since it as Renaissance palace right in the middle of the Alhambra. It now houses two museums which I didn't have time to visit (yes, this could have been a 7-hour visit). When you purchase your ticket you are given an entry time to begin the tour and if you miss your start time you're out of luck (another reason for opting for a taxi!). At 10:30 a.m., it was my turn to enter (September 8).





The first part of the tour is the Mexur, which is known as the Nasrid Palace (the Alhambra was constructed by the Nasrid kings). The Alhambra is so named because it was referred to as the Red Castle, Calat Alhambra. The first courtyard you enter is the Patio del Mexur, where the sultan would receive petitions from subjects or meet with ministers. After the Patio del Mexur is the Patio de los Arrayanes (Court of the Myrtles), which has a reflecting pool and is surrounded by myrtle trees, and the domed Salon de Embajadores (Hall of the Ambassadors), which was the throne room. As you pass through these rooms the appreciation of the beauty of the Alhambra gradually builds as the fine detail of the architecture becomes progressively more complex.





One of the high points of the visit follows the Salon de Embajadores. You walk out into a large open courtyard known as the Patio de los Leonares (Court of Lions). The architecture is stunning with 124 elaborate columns enclosing the courtyard and a fountain supported by 12 marble lions. This courtyard was built by Muhammad V. One of the things that I found interesting from the audio guide is that the columns have no structural purpose (i.e. for support, etc.) -- they are there purely for aesthetic reasons, which aptly summarizes the highly developed appreciation of aesthetics in Moorish Spain. I think I spent about half an hour in this courtyard. Every new angle from which you view it reveals a new perspective and you feel the need to see as many as you can before you leave.





Surrounding the Patio de los Leonares are rooms on each side, the Sala de los Abencerrajes, the Sala de las Dos Hermanas (Hall of the Two Sisters), and the Sala de los Reyes (Hall of Kings). I am not sure I remember which room is which from my photos, but they are all stunning with elaborate tiling and carving on the walls and the pillars. One of the rooms contains a domed ceiling and the carvings of the geometric patterns on the dome are intended to give the sense that it stretches on to infinity (so says the audio guide), and it does have a captivating effect. In another room a patio that once provided views of the city (but was later blocked by additional buildings in the complex) has a stained-glass window in its ceiling. The tour of the Nasrid Palce ends in a courtyard that contains a garden and the Torre de Las Damas (Ladies' Tower), which is unfortunately closed to the public.





After the Nasrid Palace I made the 20-minute walk (there are arrows thankfully, and you are also surrounded by walls so even I couldn't get lost in there) to the Generalife, another and more older palace that also contains large gardens. The highlight of the Generalife palace itself is its courtyards with their pools. Outside the palace, there is a staircase that leads higher up the mountain toward the main gardens. I thought this was one of the most interesting parts of the Generalife. There are three streams of flowing water that come down the staircase, one on each handrail and one down the middle underneath the stairs (hence their name, Escalera del Agua, the Water Staircase). These had a very mundane function in that they fed the pools and baths for the palace, but they also had a mystical purpose in that they were intended to symbolize the Islamic description of Paradise in the Qur'an, which speaks of "gardens through which streaming rivers flow".





The final part of my tour was the Alcazaba, which is the oldest part of the Alhambra (9th century) and was the fortress component. The Alcazaba is a must-see in my view, especially because of the Torre de la Vela. This is the tower you can see in photos of the Alhambra with the three flags flying and provides spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and the city of Grenada. Particularly stunning is the view it provides of the Albaicin, which is the old Arab Quarter. My first night in Grenada I went to the lookout that provides spectacular views of the Alhambra (Mirador de San Nicolas); from the Torre de la Vela you can look across in the other direction and see the Mirador de San Nicolas as well as the whitewashed houses of the Albaicin as they rise up the mountain (and also made me appreciate my decision to walk down from, rather than up to, the lookout). I realize now that I did not see the Palace of Charles V, so that is one reason to come back.





When your tour ends you walk back down the tree-lined stone road to the main ticket entrance, which gives you some time to reflect on what you just saw. It is fitting that the Alhambra is on a mountain; the spell that it casts is very much like climbing a mountain, taking in the view from the peak, and then descending back down where only then can you appreciate the entirety. In the same way, the Alhambra slowly casts its spell, peaking in the Court of Lions (and in a different way at the Torre de la Vela), and then it gradually lets you go, and it is only at that point you can appreciate its magnificence.





On a different note, two things I learned at the Alhambra that I do not like: (1) Group tours. These do nothing but crowd all the attractions so that nobody can enjoy them; (2) People who stand in the best spot to take photos at every point of an attraction and refuse to take a picture and get out, but rather linger for what seems like an eternity. This is just basic manners people.





Having depleted my camera battery entirely (don't worry, I will create a slideshow of only the best shots before subjecting anyone to them), I headed back to the hotel to recharge it and get some food. This also gave me a chance to pop down to the big department store chain here, El Corte Ingles, to look for some Spanish national team gear. My goal was a Xabi Alonso kit. He is a former Liverpool player and is still in love with Anfield (just take a look at his twitter feed). Liverpool has not been the same since he left (I know he plays for Real Madrid now Cory, but it's the Liverpool connection not the RM one that is key, don't wory). After finding the right floor, I came to the Spain football section of the store and there was only one kit left in my size. What one was it? Xabi Alonso, number 14. It was meant to be.





I spent the rest of the day walking around the Albaicin. The streets there a like a Moroccan marketplace and it is a magical atmosphere. Bear in mind I've never been to Morocco, so it may just have been the sangria from lunch 😊.





This morning it was time to leave Granada, head to the airport, and catch a plane to Barcelona, the last city I will stay in and the the second-last stop on my trip (Wednesday -- September 12 -- I visit Montserrat for the day). Arriving in Barcelona for the last leg of my trip is a bit like someone taking your vacation, wrapping it up in the finest wrapping paper you've ever seen, and placing a big bow on it. In some ways arriving in Barcelona felt like coming home -- it is a larger city than Seville, Cordoba, and Granada, there are more open spaces and large boulevards, and the Mediterranean Sea to the "south" provides you with some bearings (as Cory pointed out to me, the Mediterranean is not really "south" per se, but it just seems natural to think of it that way -- Cory's sister lived in Barcelona for several years and he has visited here three times, so he knows the city).





My cabbie from the airport was the friendliest I've had since I've been in Spain, and reminded me quite a bit of the cabbies in Liverpool. In Liverpool the cab drivers start up the conversation with you pretty much as soon as you get in and they delight in talking about football and telling you about the city as you drive through it. The conversation started a bit later in Barcelona because I wasn't sure if he spoke English or not, but once he started talking it was like having a guided tour on the city. You could tell he was proud of his city, and that is the same feeling you get in Liverpool. My hotel is in the Barri Gotic (the Old Quarter), so cars are not allowed into the surrounding streets. My cabbie let me out and after walking a couple of blocks past the Barcelona Cathedral I arrived. As it happens, the guy who was working at the front desk lived in Toronto for a short time and studied at Trent University in Peterborough, so all in all it was a pretty great introduction to Barcelona.





I spent the first evening here seeing some of the sights in the area. My hotel is just off the square in front of the cathedral, so that was my first stop. I saw part of it but Mass was going on so it seemed a bit odd to be snapping photos; I decided I would return another day since it is so close. From there I walked through the charming streets of the Barri Gotic to the impressive Esglesia de Santa Maria del Mar (esglesia is Catalan for church, iglesia being the Spanish word) -- which I believe translates as St. Mary of the Sea). Both churches are quite spectacular, with a disinctive feel compared to the other large cathedrals I have seen in Spain and England. I walked from Santa Maria del Mar to the Parc de la Ciutadella, a large park not far from the port and La Barceloneta, described in my guide as a "fisherfolk district".





One of the other first impressions I have of Barcelona is that you immediately know that you are in Catalonia, not Spain. September 11 is Catalonia Day, and Catalan flags are flying on balconies all over the city (or at least the small part of it that I have seen). I am looking forward to being here for the Catalan national holiday, and I can't help but think it will have a similar feel to St-Jean Baptiste Day, a festival with a very political element. I am already looking for a Catalan flag!





Tomorrow I am off to see some of Gaudi's celebrated buildings and then the Camp Nou, home of FC Barcelona. I hear number 10 is pretty good for them 😊.

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Photos

Alhambra
Arabic Calligraphy (on the walls)

Alhambra
Reflecting pool

Alhambra
Patio de los Leonares

Alhambra
Patio de los Leonares

Alhambra
Ceiling reflecting infinity in the Sala de los Abencerrajes

The Albaicin
Viewed from the Alhambra (Torre de la Vela) -- just below the church with the white tower is the Mirador de San Nicolas (where the brick wall is)

The Albaicin
Streets in the Arab Quarter

The Albaicin
Markets in the Arab Quarter

Barcelona
Catalonian flags on balconies -- September 11 is the national holiday of Catalonia

Barcelona
Parc de la Ciutadella

Barcelona
The square in front of the Cathedral -- my hotel is on a street just off the square on the right-hand side